In Your Eyes
by clarembees
Summary: It all started with "Hey, Pouty Boy," but then they looked into each other's eyes and they felt complete. This is Nate and Dana's summer of love. Rated T for now, but will change to M.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I didn't think I'd actually like Dana because I wanted Nate and Caitlyn, Mitchie's best friend to hook up at the end of the first movie and was still holding out hope in the sequel, but I ended up liking her and my Muse got frisky._

_I don't normally write in first person but first person just seemed like the way to go for this story so I could expand on the storyline they had in the movie. The POVs will switch between Nate and Dana's and any of the dialogue you recognize like "Hey, Pouty Boy," doesn't belong to me just like the characters don't; I'm just you know borrowing them._

_I also don't own the epic "In Your Eyes" that belongs to Peter Gabriel whose song not only provides the title for this piece but gave me the inspiration for what my ending will be – hint my ending goes through the whole summer and not just the bonfire, which I didn't like for too many reasons to list. But mostly because there was no Nate and Dana to kind of round out their story. The hug after Camp Star's Camp Wars win was not enough for me. Clearly._

**In Your Eyes**

_**Nate's POV**_

The ride to camp was long enough without Shane making it _longer_ by constantly talking about Mitchie and what it would be like to see her again.

Sitting in the back, I plucked absently at the strings of my guitar, resisting the urge to roll my eyes as he walked up and down the aisle mumbling different phrases to himself so he would know what to say when he saw her again. I knew a year was a long time, but with all the e-mailing and texting they had been doing since last summer, you would think he wouldn't _need_ to "rehearse" before seeing her.

"Nate!" He called, sounding mildly distressed as he bounded toward me.

Now I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes because I _already_ knew what he was coming over to ask me. Putting down my guitar, I told him dryly, "No, Shane, I'm not going to pretend to be Mitchie so you can try out your assortment of lines on me."

Just as he was about to say something, suddenly the bus jerked, nearly sending him toppling into my lap.

_That can't be good_, I thought as I moved to get up.

"What just happened?" I heard Jason say as I reached the front of the bus. "We totally stopped moving. Why did we stop?"

His eyes frantically darted from mine to Shane's and I was going to tell him to calm down when our bodyguard Oliver's imposing figure appeared in the doorway. With a sad shake of his head, he told us, "Sorry guys, but we'll be stuck for awhile, the bus has a flat."

"No!" Shane screamed, rushing out the door.

About a minute later he had rushed back inside and was rummaging through the various drawers in the kitchen area, only stopping when he finally found a wrench. "You're not going to try to change the tire yourself, are you?" I asked, my tone wary as I arched a brow.

"Of course I am." His tone implied that the answer to my question was obvious. "I have to get camp before Mitchie. If I don't, it throws off my whole plan. Haven't you been listening to me for these last three weeks of the tour?"

Ignoring his comment, I followed him out of the bus along with Oliver and Jason saying, "You know you can't change a tire right?"

After Oliver's attempts at changing the tire himself, I dialed the number of a tow truck that I found in the phone book we kept on the bus just in case. Meanwhile Shane was still attempting – and _pathetically_ I might add – to change the tire. As he cranked the wrench one last time, I sighed heavily and pleaded with him in exasperation, "Can't we just please wait for the tow truck? Oliver tried and _he_ couldn't get it."

"That's because Oliver _isn't_ properly motivated," Shane stated. "He isn't trying to get to Camp Rock before Mitchie."

"We should have never even taken that short cut." Oliver mumbled, wiping his brow with a handkerchief.

As if our bodyguard hadn't spoken, Jason in his typical oblivious way gave Shane a reason for Oliver's supposed lack of motivation, "Maybe," He said. "Because Oliver doesn't even know Mitchie."

Watching him struggle to get the wrench off one of the bolts on the tire, I reached over and gave it a wriggle before it easily came off. Unable to resist, I gave my brother a rare smile as I handed the wrench back to him and he tersely replied, "Thanks," before standing up.

"It's gonna be really cool. I got it all planned," He mused, sounding pleased with himself, "She'll walk in and I'll be sitting there and I'll say..." He paused for what I assumed was suspense and finished with, "Hey, Mitchie. She's going to be so surprised."

"Hey, Mitchie," I said with a scoff I was unable to hold back, "That's your _big_ line?"

"Trust me," He defended. "Everything's cool when _I _do it."

After a beat, a genuine smile came to his face and he admitted what Jason and I knew all along by saying, "I'm just happy I get to spend some time with her."

I nodded in understanding (though, not really since I had no girl waiting for me) and that's when Jason fished something out of his pocket and handed it to Shane saying, "Oh, hey, here you go."

Realization took over our brother's angled features and he snapped, "Is this from the tire?"

"Yeah," Jason's response was casual. "I found it lying on the ground and I figured it must have been important so I put it in my pocket."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Shane wondered, his voice bordering on exasperation.

"How could I have told you before, if I didn't remember until now?"

"It's fine. I mean it's just one bolt right?"

Both Jason and I nodded in agreement; not that either of us knew much about tires or bolts that went on tires. Then the sound of tire blowing out and Oliver screaming made us realize just how important the bolt _actually_ was especially when the bus tipped over and began its descent into the lake with a loud and resounding splash amongst our screams of "No!," over and over.

"Told you it was important," Jason replied as he clapped his hand over Shane's shoulder before we walked away, leaving him staring at the lake where our tour bus now resided.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

Arriving in the flatbed truck belonging to a local farmer wasn't exactly _cool_, but I was confident in Shane's self-proclaimed ability to make _everything _he did cool. And that lead me to deciding to have some fun while he was mumbling all the different ways to say "Hey, Mitchie" to himself, by tying the laces of his shoes together.

Just as the familiar Camp Rock sign came into view, I yelled over the barrels of hay to the farmer, "Start honking your horn! We're here!"

And that's just what he did, alerting all of the campers that were at the stage by the lake where Opening Jam always took place. Our Uncle Brown was on stage and most likely in the middle of his usual spiel when the honking stopped him while we waived at everyone as the truck pulled further into the grassy area.

"Rockers, my nephews and Camp Rock alums," I could hear Brown announce, "Better known to the world as Connect Three!"

Shane stood up and it was hard for me to hold back the laughter I could feel rising in my throat, as I watched him slowly topple over and then fall flat on his face. Jason turned to me and acknowledged, "You probably shouldn't have tied his shoes together."

With a clap of my hands, I shrugged unapologetically. "He's the one who said he could make _anything_ look cool." I reminded my oldest brother.

After a long pause that came from watching him fight with the flapping chicken on his head, I said dryly, "And I believe he stands corrected," which earned a nod from Jason as we both climbed out of the truck.

The two of us hung back and watched the reunion to end all reunions (or that's what our brother would have us think) take place as he hugged Mitchie who's smile literally stretched from ear to ear as she beamed up at him, big dark eyes sparkling brightly and cheeks flushed prettily.

Then Brown made the announcement that we were going to be spending the whole summer at camp and a small gasp fell from her painted lips as she asked solely for confirmation purposes, "The whole summer?"

"Absolutely." Shane confirmed, his smile as wide as hers.

After his confirmation, Brown's voice could be heard saying, "The official reason being that they miss their Uncle, but I don't think that's the entire story..."

Everyone laughed knowingly and suddenly the eyes of every camper were focused on the reunited pair and "ooohs" were let out causing Jason to say into our brother's ear, "Everyone's staring. You might want to you know react or waive or say something."

"Hey, everyone I'm Shane and this is Jason and Nate," He said as the campers clapped. "Now we know it's going to be hard, but just treat us like normal campers."

Without missing a beat, everyone turned their attention back to Brown causing Shane to mumble somewhat disappointingly, "I guess it really won't be that hard."

With all the campers focused on him once again, it gave our Uncle the time to what I suspected would be the typical _"first day back at camp"_ speech, but he ended up saying something that surprised me, "As you can probably see we're a little bit smaller this year..."

Confused by his statement, I found my eyes darting around and taking in the size of the crowd, causing me to notice that it didn't seem as large as it was back when I would spend my summers here as a kid. Shrugging, I walked on stage with Jason leaving Shane and Mitchie alone and as Brown continued explaining just why the size of campers had shrunk, I didn't expect to hear that there was another camp that had opened across the lake.

What didn't surprise me is that the camp – Camp Star – was being run by his ex-band mate Axel Turner.

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas Jason, Shane and I were treated to the same story of how he had kicked Axel out of their band The White Rose – it was one all of us could repeat word for word and yet somehow we had never figured out how to get out of it.

Not even our Mom – Brown's sister – who had heard it more times than the three of us combined had figured out how to do that.

Just as he told everyone that we had to make an effort to get along with "our new friends across the lake," the sound of revving speed boats could be heard and suddenly little parachutes were falling everywhere causing Jason to panic and cover himself with his jacket as he screamed unnecessarily, "We're under attack!"

The parachutes were from Camp Star and held all the ingredients to make s'mores – chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows – apparently we were all invited to a bonfire.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

I was surprised Shane was willing to part with Mitchie and share a canoe with me for the trip across the lake to Camp Star, but I held back any caustic remarks I could make. It had been a long time since I had seen my brother as happy as he was now and I wasn't going to take that away from him.

Climbing out of the canoe after it had pulled up to the docks was easy for me, but not so much for him.

After handing me my guitar case (singing was essential at a bonfire, after all), he had one foot on the dock and slowly the canoe began pulling away causing him to change his early assessment of "I got it," to "I don't got it," His voice sound distressed instead of cool.

Smiling, I shook my head and said as I walked away, "I think we should add this to the uncool list."

Walking from the docks and into the actual amphitheater where the "bonfire" was taking place, was something I hadn't prepared myself for. There was no fire but a stage – one that looked like the kind of stage my brothers and I performed on as Connect Three – as in not something you'd expect to find at summer camp.

Everyone was impressed and their gasps of awe were getting to me. Slipping my hands into my pockets, I couldn't help but think that something was off about this. I didn't know what I _just_ knew that I didn't want to be here and I didn't think anyone from Camp Rock should be either.

"Ready?" I heard Jason say as he walked up to me, soaking wet and holding a black mug.

Not wanting an explanation for why he was wet because knowing him it was some weird reason, I just said, "We shouldn't be here. It's _so_ obvious this guy is just doing this to get back at Brown. First he tries to take down The White Rose and now Camp Rock."

The black mug in his hands caught my attention and I couldn't hide my disdain. "What is that?"

"Hot chocolate," Jason answered and after a beat he added. "They're handing it free when you walk in. Plus, you get to keep the mug."

He must have heard the scoff I let out because his response was indignant, "What?"

Sighing, I threw up my hands and told him, "There is no way, I'm staying at this bonfire."

Before I could follow through with my threat, a melodically teasing voice entered the fray. "Hey, Pouty Boy," I heard causing me to turn away from my brother. "You better hurry the bonfire's about to start."

The melodic voice ended up belonging to a pretty girl with long, straight chocolate hair that fell down her back and matching expressive eyes that sparkled while her peach lips stretched into a taunting grin. I couldn't help but stare as she turned away, her hair swaying in time with her hips while she finished walking down the stairs and suddenly I wasn't in that much of a hurry to leave.

"You know," I found myself saying slowly. "We should probably go take our seats."

Jason was smiling at me and I was trying to ignore it. "I think they're about to start."

"Uh-uh." He nodded, his smile growing just a little bit bigger.

Annoyed, I told him, "Don't mock."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

And as I walked away, I could hear him say, "Okay, maybe just a little bit."

Just as Axel Turner strutted onto the stage and told everyone, "Everyone take their seats," I sat down with Jason. He got into a brief introduction to welcome the campers from Camp Rock that he called "rockers" and I couldn't help but frown at the obvious disdain in his voice when he said it. After that he talked about getting down to what a campfire was really all about – singing – but when he asked if any of the rockers would get up to sing, no one moved.

Not even Mitchie, which to be honest, didn't surprise me much. From what I remembered of her last summer she was a little shy. After all, it wasn't until Final Jam that Shane knew _she_ was the "girl with the voice."

So instead Camp Star went first after Axel jokingly apologized beforehand as he eluded to the possibility of them embarrassing themselves and I rolled my eyes. There was _no way_ they were embarrassing themselves – if there was even the slightest chance something could go wrong with their performance – they wouldn't be hosting the bonfire in the first place.

Settling into my seat, I prepared myself to be unimpressed, but as the performance went on, I noticed the pretty girl from earlier – the one who called me pouty boy – standing behind a keyboard and singing along and it was hard to remain unimpressed when she was so pretty and clearly talented.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Dana's POV**_

Even though I was Axel Turner's daughter, I would get nervous before going on stage to perform.

_Ugh_, I thought disgustedly as I realized I had referred to myself as _Axel Turner's daughter_. It wasn't that being my Dad's daughter was necessarily a bad thing because it wasn't. I just didn't like the inference that came with the phrase, that's all.

And to be honest, being just plain Dana Turner, was a lot easier.

Shaking my head, I berated myself for feeling nervous. By now I _should_ be okay with the whole nerves thing. I mean I've been performing since I was five, but that doesn't stop my stomach from tumbling and my palms from sweating.

_It's warm. **Too **warm. _I thought as I tugged on the sleeves of my heavy leather jacket that boasted the Camp Star logo on the back, _So why are we wearing leather in this weather? Seriously, it's like 90 degrees out here. Ugh._

Honestly, when my Dad extended the invitation for Camp Rock to perform first at the bonfire, I was kind of hoping they would that way I would have a longer period of time to calm my nerves. But I was never – despite people's perception of me – a lucky girl. So instead of getting a lengthy reprieve for my nerves, I was backstage with my hands spread out over an imaginary keyboard and humming to the tune of the song we were going to perform _"Fire_._"_

"Don't tell me," I heard the smooth but slightly raspy voice of Luke Williams from behind me, "That Axel Turner's daughter is nervous? Cause I know that ain't the case."

Luke wasn't a bad guy per say, but he _was_ really cocky and that wasn't something I was into so it was hard for me to bite my tongue in regards to his teasing about my bouts of stage fright. Turning to face him, I gave him the sweetest smile I could muster and tucked my long strands of chocolate hair behind my ear.

"Why don't _you_ worry about you and I'll worry about _me_, okay Luke?"

He laughed and the smirk I was slowly becoming used to crossed the thickness of his lips. "Dana, don't you know? I'm _so_ good I don't have to worry about me and that means I can spend my time focusing on worrying about _you_ and those nerves. There's just enough time for me to fix that little nervous thing you got goin' on."

As he spoke, he moved closer – so much so that I could smell the cologne he used and I swallowed the urge to cough. He should have used _a lot_ less. I could feel my smile falter slightly but my voice remained sweet as I told him, "I can take care of my own nerves."

"If you say so." He shrugged, his voice etched with a casual tone. He turned to take his place at the head of all the back up dancers, when he stopped mid-step and turned around. Flashing me what he was sure was a winning smile, he reminded me, "My offer's still on the table – you know about fixing your nervous thing, girl. So if you're interested stop by my cabin."

He winked and I couldn't stop myself from shuddering as I took in a deep breath before the lights dimmed.

Walking out on stage calmed my nerves considerably and once everything started happening – the lights coming on, the guitars starting and _even_ the sound of Luke's voice – my nerves had dissipated. I was getting into what was known as "performer's high." I was so wrapped up in the music and the energy that I didn't have time to be nervous.

What also helped was the glances I kept sneaking into a particular section of the crowd.

While I'm sure the back up singers and dancers all noticed Shane Gray who was sitting next to his Uncle Brown (my Dad's ex-band mate), I couldn't keep my eyes off the youngest member of Connect Three, his brother Nate.

I knew there was a chance I would run into one of the Gray brothers either before or after the bonfire – they were Camp Rock's most famous alumns – but I hadn't expected the flirting I had done with Nate when I saw him looking bored and angry (although he looked _too _cute to really be angry) about being there.

But something just came over me as I saw him standing on the steps with his hands in his pockets and soft brown eyes full of silent disdain for the spectacle he was about to endure, and I couldn't stop myself from saying, "Hey, Pouty Boy you better hurry the bonfire's about to start."

I wasn't a flirt by nature but I wasn't going to pass up a chance to flirt with Nate Gray. No sane girl in their right mind would pass up that opportunity and when the corners of his heart-shaped lips turned just a little after I had giggled, I knew the chance had been worth taking. Just that little hint of a smile from him was enough to make a swarm of butterflies erupt in my stomach and my entire body flood with warmth.

I could only imagine what a _whole_ smile from him would do.

Sneaking one last glance at him, I lost myself in the music as the song came to a close and while I flipped my head back, I raised my arm fluidly after playing the last note and suddenly my bracelet flung off my wrist and into the crowd, and in an instant my nerves were back.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

I felt sick to my stomach as I looked forlornly out into the crowd while my Dad came strutting back onto the stage. That bracelet was a gift from my Mom – she gave it to me when I turned eleven just before some school talent show – and it had been my lucky charm ever since and now it was gone.

_How could you forget to tighten the clasp,_ I berated myself angrily_, You know it gets loose sometimes!_

Swallowing thickly, the feeling of being shaken up about losing my bracelet only intensified as my Dad asked if any Camp Rock staffers would like to make the switch to Camp Star. I couldn't help but feel horrified as the words left his mouth. How could he do that?

_Really? You're surprised he pulled something like that_, a voice in my head snorted, _You know the whole basis for Camp Star's existence is just so he can get back out Brown Cessario for kicking him out of The White Rose all those years ago._

There was no conceding that what the voice in my head said _wasn't_ true, I just tried not to think about an ulterior motive being the _whole_ reason he opened Camp Star. I knew all about The White Rose debacle and while I knew there was _no_ chance my Dad would ever put it behind him, I chose to believe that eventually he would and I hoped tonight – the whole inviting Camp Rock to an opening night bonfire – would be the start of it.

Clearly, I was wrong.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

After all the chaos that came from several Camp Rock counselors making the switch to Camp Star, I finally managed to move away from my keyboard and make my way off the stage and up to the steps where Nate and his brother Shane were. I couldn't hear what they were saying exactly but I figured it had something to do with his eye getting hit with my bracelet.

Breathing in deeply and without saying anything else, I just jumped right into my apology. "I'm really sorry about that."

The whole breathing deep thing – you know how you're supposed to do it so you calm down – was rendered irrelevant when he turned around and I was staring at his soft brown eyes again. He seemed a little nervous, which made me feel a little better as he told me, "It's all good; I'm totally fine."

Laughter bubbled up in my throat as I watched him quickly shove Shane's arm off his shoulder mere seconds after he had put it around him. "I'm just happy I could catch it for you," He added, holding it out to me in his open palm.

My laughter sounded shaky to my own ears and I could only hope it sounded better to his as I said, "Well, it's always been my lucky charm so I guess it still works."

Shane's eyes narrowed briefly and his lips twisted into a frown. "Aren't you forgetting the part where you hit him in the eye?"

His question made me flush with embarrassment; something Nate obviously noticed because he gave his brother a pointed look causing Connect Three's front-man to make a quick exit. "I'll be over here."

"So..." He said, pausing to read the name on the bracelet. "Dana, you were amazing up there."

My heart skipped several beats and I felt the swarm of butterflies from earlier return to my stomach as it swooped from his praise. The flush on my cheeks only got warmer as did the rest of me as I found myself practically drowning amongst the honesty his soft eyes were colored with.

"You think?" I asked in somewhat awe. There was a brief pause that I filled with a recount of my nerves by saying in a tone that was full of relief, "I'm just glad it's over. We've been practicing for weeks and still every time I go on, I'm almost sure I'm going to throw up."

I wasn't sure if it was the honesty in his eyes or just there softness that had me continuing to talk, but I just couldn't stop myself. Not that I would admit it out loud, but the reason I couldn't shut up was probably because I didn't want him to leave. His eyes were just so..._pretty_ and tearing myself away from them was harder than I ever guessed it would be.

"I'm really glad you guys came," I told him. "My Dad was _sure_ none of you would show."

His brows started to furrow so I answered the question he didn't have the chance to ask yet, wincing slightly in the process, "My Dad's Axel Turner."

His eyes went wide and he asked the question slowly, as if he were trying to process what he was saying before I could even give confirmation. "He's your Dad?"

My laughter didn't _just_ sound nervous – it sounded fake – as it tumbled off my lips awkwardly. "Everyone says that and um...Everyone says it sort of just like that. But trust me, once you get to know him he's a really great guy."

The generic statement I made in defense of my Dad had him looking amused, which I had to admit, was a _very_ cute look for him. His lips were doing the kind of half smile he was known for – the one that had girls all over everywhere swooning and fainting and his eyes sparkled with something. I wasn't sure what and I didn't really care, I just liked that they were sparkling – it added a dimension to their softness.

"Well, I guess I should go..." I was clearly stalling and hoping somehow he would pick up the conversation so I wouldn't have to go.

But instead of picking it up, he was finding a way to end it. I really hoped the whole Axel Turner is my Dad thing wasn't making him run. "Here," He said, handing me my bracelet. "You don't want to lose it."

It sounded stupid in my head, but I couldn't stop myself from telling him, "You can keep it if you want."

He seemed to agree with my internal assessment as he laughed slightly. "What would I do with a bracelet?"

"Right," I agreed before going into apology mode again. "For the record, I'm really glad you're okay. You have really pretty eyes."

He seemed uncomfortable after my comment about the aesthetically pleasing quality of his eyes and I felt that if my bracelet was _really_ lucky, it would somehow be able to create a hole for me to fall through right at that moment. His half smile was still playing on his lips and I took that to be somewhat of a good sign and I interpreted the sparkling of his eyes in just the same way.

"Okay, um...Yeah, that was weird," I babbled nervously. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No, it's all good." His nervousness from earlier when Shane was standing next to him was back and if it was possible he _was_ even cuter. "People tell me that all the time, probably because they're right in the middle of my face."

"So..." He said, pausing just long enough for me to drag out the word in a similarly awkward manner. "So..."

After another lengthy pause, I realized he wasn't exactly staring at me like he had been so I looked over my shoulder and I found my Dad staring intently at the two of us. _That explains the awkwardness_, I thought once again wishing the ground could somehow swallow me whole.

"Um...Yeah," I mumbled. "I'll see you around." I finished lamely, walking over to where my Dad was standing, taking the time to quickly glance in his direction once more.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

My Dad had caught me continuing to stare at the spot Nate and I once occupied and his gruff but gentle, "Honey," jarred me out of my thoughts.

Looking up at him, I braced myself for the possibility of him berating me, but instead he was still gentle. He put his hand on my shoulder and his voice was just a little softer than before as he finished, "I don't want you talking to that boy."

In my head I was laughing – if he knew how awkward and stupid I had sounded around him, he wouldn't have told me that he didn't want me talking to Nate. I thought it would be hard to hold back some kind of snort or scoff, but it really wasn't.

Forlornly I stared at the spot where I had the opportunity to take in the clean soapy smell on his skin and have those pretty eyes of his staring into mine and I wished I hadn't been so awkward around him. I wanted the chance to smell his clean soapiness and stare into the softness of his pretty eyes again, but that didn't look like it was going to happen.

Sighing heavily, I told my Dad, "Don't worry, I don't think that's going to be a problem."

He gave me a sympathetic smile, which is something I didn't expect, but I took solace in. Feeling like a little girl, I locked hands with his and rested my head on his shoulder as we walked down the stairs of the amphitheater, which would take us back to the cabins.

And back at the cabins – or more specifically _my_ cabin – I found that I had a new bunk mate. It wasn't hard to place the somewhat icy corn-flower blonde. Her name was Tess Tyler, TJ Tyler – yes, _that_ TJ Tyler's – daughter.

We didn't know each other at all, really, but I had said hi to her on more than one occasion because our parents almost always attended the same parties and as their children we were invited too.

"Hey," I greeted in what I hope was a warm voice. To my own ears I sounded stiff and obviously still reeling from the prospect of not seeing Nate again.

"Hey," She returned, not even bothering to look up from her multitude of suitcases.

_Okay, then_, I thought as I moved toward my side of the cabin. Slowly I began to undress, my movements methodical because of the draining performance, but I was sure it was because of what happened after I had gotten off stage.

Once I was in my pajamas and she was in hers, Tess decided to acknowledge me. "So..." She started. "I bet you're wondering why I chose to come here instead of staying at Camp Rock where I've always been."

_Not really_ is what I wanted to say but my Mom drilled the "golden rule" into my head so much that I held back. Instead, I appeared thoughtful as I sat cross-legged in my bed and turned my brown eyes in the direction of her ocean blue.

"You don't have to tell me, but if you want to, that's fine."

"Honestly, and whatever you do, _don't_ tell your Dad – I don't want to sound like some star struck freak, you know? I mean I _am_ TJ Tyler's daughter; I have no reason to be. But your Dad is amazing. So amazing." She gushed, oceanic eyes gleaming. "And I just _couldn't_ pass up the opportunity to be in the presence of someone as great as Axel Turner. Plus, you guys have a _way_ better set up here. You have _real_ recording equipment and everything. Camp Rock just doesn't compare."

_Doesn't she know Camp Rock created Connect Three? You know the biggest band in the world right now_, a sarcastic voice filled my head and it was hard not to laugh.

Without sounding sarcastic, I mentioned the band casually. "Maybe they don't have a recording studio, but Connect Three seems to have done pretty well for themselves and they started out at Camp Rock."

The pretty blonde rolled her eyes. "That's _all_ Camp Rock can lay claim to and technically it shouldn't even count. I mean – _hello_ – Shane, Jason and Nate are Brown's nephews. They already knew how to play and sing when they got to Camp Rock. They've been doing it since they were babies. Ugh. It was basically glorified babysitting for Brown – his nephews being there. It's not _he_ like really taught them anything. Duh." She scoffed at the end while flipping her silky hair over her shoulder somewhat defiantly.

_Great,_ I grumbled to myself_, I'm rooming with the female version of Luke Williams. Nice. _


	3. Chapter 3

_**Nate's POV**_

The next morning after the bonfire debacle, the whole camp seemed to be subdued.

Even Jason.

And subdued was not a word I would use _at all_ to describe my oldest brother. Not even when he was sick.

After putting on my hat, I was about to walk out of the cabin I shared with my brothers, when Jason's voice stopped me. The tone he used was sad and it made him sound far away, even though he was really right behind me. "You don't think..." He started, pausing only to swallow thickly. "That what happened with nearly all of the counselors leaving for Camp Star, will shut down the camp do you?"

I didn't want to admit it out loud but that thought had crossed my mind more than once the previous night. I was logical to a fault and Brown had mentioned that he was already short staffed. Sighing heavily, I answered Jason's question honestly, "I hope not," and then we walked out of our cabin together with Shane following close behind.

Somehow despite the subdued mood, the lunch cabin was all a buzz with rapid chatter, but everyone was basically having the same conversation. One person would ask if the camp was going to close and then the other would tell them just what I told Jason earlier, that they hoped it wouldn't.

I hadn't been around her all that much but I had learned quickly that Mitchie was an eternal optimist. She had been listening to the same conversations as everyone else, but was obviously tired of hearing about the camp potentially shutting down.

Earnestly, she told everyone, "Brown is a smart guy. I'm sure he'll figure something out."

"Thank you for that vote of confidence, Mitchie," Brown mused, his voice grateful but showing signs of wear as my Mom would say. "I guess I don't have to get everyone's attention. The good news is – and this _really_ warms my heart – we lost very few campers last night."

The mood changed slightly as everyone clapped their hands and the dreary looks on their faces showed signs of happiness. Despite the fact that I was clapping along, I held back somewhat because I knew with _good news_ always came _bad news_. I just hoped the bad news wasn't the news everyone was dreading – Camp Rock being shut down.

"But," He said with obvious resignation. "We lost quite a few of our remaining staff, which means and I can't believe I have to say this, Camp Rock is closed. Effective immediately."

Like wild fire gasps of horror and shock spread throughout the group of campers and the mood changed immediately. If anything, it was _worse_ than before Brown had just made his announcement about closing down the camp. My chest felt tight and my stomach tumbled uncomfortably at the look on my Uncle's face – he just looked so defeated while at the same time he had to make this okay for the campers, more so than making it okay for himself.

"No, no, you have to believe me," He pleaded – no, more like begged. "Truly, I've got no other option. I'll start calling parents as soon as we're done here, which I guess is now. I'm sorry."

He shook his head sadly and then made his way toward the exit of the cabin. "Brown, wait." Shane called out before turning to me and Jason. "Come on guys." He urged earnestly and we quickly followed our Uncle with Mitchie's Mom, Connie hot on our heels.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

Even though Shane had been the one to tell us to follow Brown outside, he was just as unsure of what to do as Jason and I were. It wasn't easy seeing our Uncle so upset. Usually he was an easy-going happy go lucky kind of guy; not unlike Jason, but now he looked like his whole life was crashing around him and it kind of was. Camp Rock was what he lived for, what he built his livelihood around now that he wasn't performing music and it was over. Just like that.

"What are we supposed to do?" I asked Shane.

I didn't mean for my voice to sound so harsh, but it was _his_ idea to follow Brown out here.

"I don't know." He hissed back, obviously angry at the harshness of my voice.

"Well, we have to do something." Jason proclaimed. "We can't just let him sit there like that – all upset. Mom would kill us if she knew we didn't at least try and help."

Sighing, I lifted my hat from my head to run my fingers through my curls. I couldn't think of anything that would make the situation better and Shane looked like he was drawing a blank too, but suddenly Jason's face lit up and his eyes sparkled.

"I know!" He shouted triumphantly. "A birdhouse! Giving Brown a birdhouse will definitely make him feel better. If I was as upset as him, that's what I'd want and Mom always says I'm _just_ like Brown. It's perfect!"

It was hard not to roll my eyes and I could see Shane getting ready to snap at our oldest brother, when Connie's soothing voice entered the fray as she put a loving hand around Jason's shoulder. "A birdhouse sounds wonderful, Jason, but I don't think that's exactly what your Uncle needs right now. Why don't you boys go back inside and I'll stay out here and talk with him, okay?"

"Are you _sure_ he doesn't want a birdhouse, Connie?" Jason asked skeptically. "My Mom has been telling me since as far back as I can remember that I remind her so much of Brown, and he does like birds too."

Apparently being a parent gave you the ability to be _super_ patient because instead of snapping or rolling her eyes like Shane and I would, Connie just smiled warmly at Jason and ruffled his hair. "I'll tell you what," She said. "After I'm done talking to Brown, I'll ask if he'd like you to make him a birdhouse. Until then head back inside with your brothers. Maybe you and the rest of the campers can put your heads together and try to figure something out."

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

I know Connie suggested that my brothers and I put our heads together with the rest of the campers, but didn't she know that with her own daughter around we wouldn't have to?

Mitchie came up with a perfect idea.

She suggested that she and Caitlyn, Peggy, Ella, Barron and Sander along with me and my brothers all become the counselors Brown desperately needed to keep the camp open. Not only would it take care of the staffing issue, but he wouldn't have to pay us – since the campers had already paid just to be there for the summer and me and my brothers were family.

Giving the happy brunette one of my rare smiles, I told her honestly, "That's a great idea, Mitchie. A really great idea."

Her cheeks flushed slightly and she smiled back at me. "Thanks, Nate. I'll go tell my Mom to send Brown back in so we can tell him the good news."

Once Brown walked back into the cabin, he found all of us standing side by side with the signature maroon Camp Rock counselor hats on our heads. It was understandable why he was confused since he probably expected a cabin full of sulking and depressed teenagers. Instead we looked eager and ready.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Well, you said you needed some new counselors," Mitchie said, stepping forward. "So...I found you some."

Slowly a smile spread across Brown's face and although it didn't last long, I could tell by the tint of his eyes that he was going to go along with the plan Mitchie had presented. "Well, then I guess I should call this staff meeting to order!"

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

After ending up in the dancer's cabin when I was supposed to be in the drum cabin and everyone else messing up their assignments on the schedule Mitchie made up, we figured everything out and things appeared to be on the right track.

I knew I shouldn't _want_ to try and see Dana again or even catch a glimpse of her – she _was_ Axel Turner's daughter – and if it hadn't been for him, there wouldn't have been a staffing issue at Camp Rock in the first place, but that didn't seem to matter as much as it should have.

Without a second thought, I found myself a pair of binoculars from one of the drawers inside the activity cabin and decided to take a chance and head out to the lake. Shielding myself behind several trees, I put the binoculars to my face and found her sitting behind a white piano on some kind of platform thing near the amphitheater where the bonfire had been.

I could hear the melody she was playing as her fingers expertly floated across the keys and with the afternoon sun high in the sky, the chocolate color of her thick hair seemed to shimmer, as she moved her head in concentration. I hummed along with the melody and couldn't help but imagine sitting next to her as she excitedly told me about what she was playing – her peach lips stretched into _that_ smile from the night before and her chocolate eyes sparkling happily.

Just the thought of her looking at me like that had my heart skipping beats. But that was nothing compared to the jolt I got from hearing someone call my name, "Nate?"

Jumping up, I realized they were probably wondering what I was doing at the lake hiding behind a pair of trees with binoculars in my hands. "Yeah?" I asked before turning around and realizing it wasn't a generic someone from camp but my brother.

"Shane!" I shouted, my eyes going wide. Clearing my throat, I tried to sound as casual as I could and not like someone who was doing something they weren't supposed to. "What's up bro?"

I winced as the sentence fell from my lips. I definitely wasn't portraying the casualness in my voice that I had wanted to, and if it wasn't obvious just by the sound of my voice, it was obvious from the look on Shane's face.

"What are you doing?" He asked skeptically before looking down at the schedule in his hands.

Thinking on my feet wasn't exactly my strong suit, but in this situation, I didn't have much of a choice. Glancing at the binoculars in my hand and then the clipboard I had in the other, I told him, "Uh...Lifeguard duty! The schedule's a mess but you can't be too careful."

_Lifeguard duty? That's what you told him! Lifeguard duty! He's never going to buy that. You're an idiot, _inside my head I was berating myself harshly while at the same time trying to come up with a better excuse as Shane looked at me critically.

Turning back to the lake, I brought the binoculars back to my face and said in what I hoped was a convincing way, "Just one last look..." before I paused to take in the sight of Dana at her piano again and finished with the customary, "All clear," and then I rose out of my crouch and took off before he could question me about what I was _really_ doing.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

After relieving myself of my fake lifeguard duty, I made my way to the drum cabin where I was scheduled to teach a class. Lucky for me most of the kids who signed up were really good and there wasn't a lot of teaching involved because selfishly, I was filled with the urge to _actually_ go across the lake and talk to Dana – not just you know watch her from behind a couple of trees like some creep.

"All right!" I called out loudly from behind all the noise the students and I were making as I taught them how to keep the time for _"Play My Music." _"That's it! Now pick it up! Bring it home!"

As the final clash of the cymbals reverberated off the walls, I took stalk of the reverberation and acknowledged with a nod of my head that they sounded good. Really good, actually. "I knew you could do it!" I told them, in what I hoped was an encouraging manner.

"Now it's getting a little late," I said glancing down at my watch. "So what do you say we all go and enjoy some free time?"

I stuck around just long enough to hear the campers cheering and high-fiving each other before I rushed off to grab my binoculars and a canoe so I could make my way across the lake.

When I was half way across the lake, I brought the binoculars back up to my face and much to my chagrin Dana was no longer alone at her piano. She was surrounded by other campers from Camp Star and while it didn't look like she was teaching a class, she was clearly involved with something.

Briefly, I thought about turning back, but decided against it. The sun was doing that thing to her hair where it shimmered in the light and the sight was just too hard to turn away from, so I just kept staring.

"Hey, man!" Sander's familiar jovial voice suddenly called out, making me jump like I had when Shane unexpectedly called my name earlier. Without waiting for me to acknowledge him, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Why does everyone keep doing that?" I wondered aloud in a sharp tone that I could tell he picked up on when he said, "Sorry," even though I knew he really wasn't. "We're just doing our part as activity directors."

Warily, I asked, "What's the activity today?"

"Wakeboarding!" He shouted and that's when I realized that he was sitting on the back of a jet ski.

Somehow I could see the wave coming at the speed it was going while at the same time it appeared to be in slow motion and before I could even finish screaming in horror, my canoe flipped over and suddenly I was soaking wet.

_Great,_ I thought sarcastically as I finally made it all the way across the lake, _you're on your way to making another great impression on Dana, aren't you? Ugh. At this rate you might as well light yourself on fire in front of her. That might work out better._

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Dana's POV**_

Somehow even from my perch on the platform where my Dad kept my white piano that he brought all the way from our house in the Hills back in L.A. (it was so I wouldn't get homesick), I could hear the harsh sound of a splash happening in the lake and for some reason, I decided to investigate.

I didn't know why I was compelled to see who fell into the lake or whose canoe had toppled over, it's not like I was a trained lifeguard or that I was going to jump in after them. But neither of those facts stopped me from moving away from my precious piano and making my way down the slope that took me to the edge of the lake.

It wasn't possible that somehow I knew it was _his_ canoe that had toppled over. I mean I wasn't psychic or anything like that – not even a little like Rachel Berry claimed on _Glee_ – and I was pretty sure that we didn't have that "_I can feel you through walls_" connection already that Sonny and Brenda from _General Hospital, _my Mom's favorite soap opera did.

But it was like I _knew_, when I reached the edge of the lake that I would find a soaking wet Nate Gray waiting for me.

My heart was skipping beats and I tried really hard to ignore the fact that he was wet, but I wasn't succeeding as well as I wanted to because I could feel my neck and cheeks heating up. Warmth quickly bloomed in the deepest part of my stomach and I could feel a tingling sensation rush up my spine as I found myself being able to smell his clean soapiness amongst the strength of the pine trees.

More slowly than I intended, my brain got back on track and in a rush I asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great." He answered, sarcasm radiating from his tone.

I knew it wouldn't end well if my Dad caught me talking to him, but he didn't appear to be in a hurry to get back to the other side of the lake so after he sat down, I sat down next to him. I hoped I wasn't trying to be _too_ casual (inside my stomach was filled with the same swarm of butterflies from the night before) as I wondered aloud, "Uh...I don't suppose you came over her to see anyone in particular?"

I tilted my head to the side and batted my eyelashes briefly in what was supposed to be a flirty way of encouraging him to admit what I hoped in my heart was true, that he got in a canoe and came all this way to see me.

"No," He answered and I tried hard not to let my disappointment show. "Just getting some exercise."

While that wasn't the answer I was hoping for, I wasn't going to let the conversation just end. Since he mentioned he was taking the opportunity to get some exercise, it lead me to asking, "Do you you play a lot of sports?"

"Canoeing that's um pretty much it."

My brief disappointment was quickly lifted with that comment and I could feel my lips forming into a smile. We had something in common. "I'm not really all that sporty either," I admitted. "I mean I played soccer when I was little but who doesn't it?"

Instead of saying anything, he just nodded and that left me to figure out a way to keep the conversation going. If I didn't keep it going, I would be compelled to reach out and brush away the wet hair away that was clinging to his forehead. Or _worse_, I would move closer to him in an attempt to really get the chance to inhale the cleanliness of the soap on his skin and that seemed super creepy, and the last thing I wanted was to freak him out.

I didn't know why I decided on confessing my stupid dream of being a dancer to him would be a good way to keep the conversation going but the words fell from my lips before I could take them back. "So um...I really don't know why I'm telling you this but I am. I don't really work a lot with the counselors here – I mean my parents have pretty much taught me everything I know about music, but if I could I'd take one of the dance classes here. Being a dancer is sort of my nerdy super secret if I could be anything dream."

I could feel the flush on my cheeks and neck deepening after I made my confession and in an effort to learn more about the very handsome boy sitting next to me, I asked him what he would be if he could be anything.

"I don't know." He told me with a shake of his head. "I never thought about it."

I gave him a knowing grin and tilted my head in a way I wanted him to think was cute as I said teasingly, "Probably because if _you_ could be anything, you'd be _you_."

He let out a short chuckle – one that sounded rich and warm (like honey) and nothing like his singing voice that was kind of raspy and raw – and I couldn't help but follow suit with a short bout of laughter. When I stopped laughing, I fiddled absently with the sleeve of my thin sweater and remembered what I spent doing the night before after Tess and I had gone to bed.

I had turned on the book light my Mom gave me so if I wanted to read at night, I wouldn't have to flood my entire cabin and I could get away with being sneaky and (stupidly) in permanent marker like some crazy fangirl, I wrote his name on my wrist.

And for some reason, I decided to tell him that. Because that's not going to freak him out or anything.

"You want to know something really stupid? I was goofing around and I accidentally sort of wrote your name on my hand but used permanent ink by mistake." During my confession, I lifted up my sleeve so he could see my handiwork and to my surprise he _wasn't_ freaking out.

It was as if his fingers were moving in slow motion as I saw them reaching out to touch my wrist. His voice sounded like he was in awe and it took on the raspy tone it did when he sang, making my whole body grow hot in an instant. "No one's ever written my name on their hand before."

"It's really more my wrist." I told him, brushing off the intensity of the moment with some _seriously_ awkward laughter.

He laughed a little too and I didn't know how it was possible but after his laughter stopped and he said my name, "Dana," my temperature seemed to rise even more.

"Yeah?" I asked quickly, desperate to know what he wanted to say to me.

Then before he could say anything, we both heard the sound of someone calling my name from a distance, "Dana!"

It didn't take me long to realize it was my Dad and suddenly I went into panic mode. "Oh God, that's my Dad." I half-gasped half-whispered, rushing to stand up. "Ugh, I'm so sorry but I'm not supposed to be talking to you. Hurry go."

I felt horrible for making him rush away, which was the last thing I wanted him to do, but I didn't really have a choice. If my Dad saw me talking to him, he would be _beyond_ pissed and my Mom was back home, which meant there was no one around to keep him in line. I winced as I watched him lift the canoe up and crawl underneath so he was basically sitting in the water and I wished there was something I could do, but there wasn't.

I could hear my Dad call my name again and quickly I reached for the canoe's paddle and stood up with a sweet smile on my face saying, "Hey!" Realizing I sounded loud – _too _loud to be more exact – I lowered my voice and said lamely, "I uh found this canoe..."

"Ugh," My Dad said in obvious disgust at the sight of the Camp Rock logo on the side. "It's one of _theirs_. I'll have an attendant fish it out."

He was about to put his sunglasses back on and leave, when he stopped and with his brows furrowing asked, "What's that on your wrist?"

Quickly, I pushed my sleeve back down and in a teasing way I brushed off his inquiry, "Nothing."

Apparently it worked because he just gave me a smile (one that said he knew I was lying) and walked away, leaving me thankful that he didn't push me because I really didn't want to get in a fight with him about Nate; especially with my Mom on the other side of the country.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

I felt a little stupid for staring longingly at the canoe but I couldn't help it, I knew he was still under there and just knowing we were that close had my stomach flip flopping and my heart beating fast. Just as I propped the paddle against the canoe, I could hear footsteps approaching and mere seconds later I found Tess' ocean blue eyes staring back at me.

Her hands were on her hips and her pouty lips were twisted into a frown. She _apparently _wasn't pleased about something. "Where have you been?" She snapped, eyes narrowed for dramatic affect. "We've got vocals at the same time and the counselor won't start until you show up, for some reason. So come on, let's go! Just because you're Axel's daughter doesn't mean the rest of us have to wait on you."

"Sorry," I hissed as I walked away from the canoe. "I was enjoying a walk and I lost track of time. Starting the vocal class a little late isn't the end of the world, you know."

"Ugh." She huffed angrily. "Look, you can enjoy your walks and standing behind your keyboard or sitting on a piano bench, but that's _not_ why I'm here, okay? I'm here because I want to be center stage and not have to take a backseat because everyone should have a chance. If that's what I wanted, I would still be at Camp Rock. So unless you want me to make your summer a living hell – and I _will_ whether your Axel's daughter or _not_ – show up on time. You may have time to waste, but I don't."

Every instinct in my body told me to get in her face and tell her to back off, but the last thing I wanted to do was cause trouble. After the summer, it's not like I was going to see her again so what harm would it do to let her diva out and rant?

Not enough to make me _actually_ punch her like I kind of wanted to, I decided as I followed her back up the hill, effectively leaving Nate behind as he sat underneath his canoe.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Nate's POV**_

While I sat underneath my canoe, I could hear Dana and her Dad talking and once he walked away, I figured I would be able to come back up and hopefully talk to her just a little bit longer, but that didn't happen.

As soon as her Dad left, the sound footsteps approaching caught my attention and I sank further underneath my canoe, but I was still able to make out her heated conversation with Tess Tyler – one of the few Camp Rock defectors to Camp Star. It took all I had not to pop back up and give Tess a piece of my mind for practically yelling at Dana, but I knew if she found out what was going on, she'd definitely tell Dana's Dad who would obviously tell Brown and once that happened, I'd probably never see Dana again, so I didn't say anything.

Groaning, I remembered Dana asking me what I wanted to be if I had the opportunity to be anything and under my breath, I mumbled, "You want to know what I want to be? The kind of guy who can tell you how he _really_ feels."

After a sharp shake of my head, I railed against the shelter that was keeping me hidden, deciding _my_ stupidity was all _its_ fault. "I hate canoes!"

Once I made the long trek back across the lake to Camp Rock, I was shivering from being drenched by the wave and then sitting in the water for so long that I was practically seething with anger at my own lameness. On my way back to the cabin I shared with Shane, I happen to walk (more like trudge, actually) by him and admitted without provocation, "I'm _still_ an idiot."

With a smile and a chuckle, he once again agreed even though he wasn't supposed to. "And I still agree."

His laughter and the way he was looking at me, only made me angrier so I made my hand into a fist and I was just about to go in for the kill when he held up his hands and told me, "Dude, you can't keep hitting me!"

I wanted to hit him – _so bad_ – but I pulled back and he put his hands back down as he said, "Thank you," just before Mitchie appeared out of nowhere and jumped on his back, sending him tumbling to the ground in an unceremonious heap.

Deciding that was punishment enough, I looked down at the pair who were a tangle of arms and legs and laughing happily as they straightened themselves and had to turn away quickly. I mumbled an absent, "Thanks, Mitchie," that was supposed to sound pleased, but watching them only made me feel worse about what happened with Dana.

Even though I wasn't too keen on being surprised, I would have given anything to suddenly have her appear out of nowhere and tackle me to the ground. If she did I would get the chance to smell the freshness of her perfume again and maybe after we untangled ourselves, her hair would have fallen in front of her pretty eyes and I could brush it away so I could _finally_ figure out if the thick, shimmering strands were as soft as they looked.

_Yeah, you are **still** an idiot,_ I told myself as I shook my head in disappointment while pushing open my cabin's door so I could dry off. _A huge idiot._

_End Note: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has put this story on alert, reviewed it or added it to their favorites. It means more than I can say - since I know Nate and Dana aren't the most popular of pairings. Thanks for your support. I appreciate it and rememeber, you're all awesome, LOL._


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Okay, so this is where my spin starts to get put on Camp Rock 2. This chapter sets up the performance of "It's On," but obviously with a Nate/Dana spin instead of Mitchie holding court with the other campers at the Camp Fire. That is acknowledged in the next chapter when the "performance" (LOL) takes place._

_**Dana's POV**_

I _knew_ what the consequences were for sneaking out of your cabin after "lights out" was called, but I was willing to risk the punishment of kitchen duty or being the activity director for the day or _worse_ if my Dad caught me.

I wasn't sure _what_ was coming over me – I was never this much of a risk taker, I was _really_ a follow the rules kind of girl – but there was _something_ about Nate, something I had never felt before and as I lay in my bed staring at the ceiling, all I could do was think about seeing him again.

And the only way I knew how to make that happen was to sneak out.

Being seen with him in the daylight at Camp Rock, for some reason, seemed like a bigger risk than sneaking out to see him at night. Obviously _sneaking out_ to see him in the middle of the night was the bigger risk, I just couldn't seem to compute that in my head.

Quietly, I slipped on a pair of ballet flats (they were less likely to make noise than sneakers) and so I wouldn't get cold, a magenta colored zip-up hoodie I found lying around on the floor. Grabbing the flashlight every camper was required to keep in their cabin, I was halfway to the door when suddenly the room was flooded with light.

_Damn it,_ I cursed angrily, _Tess is awake! Quick think of a really good excuse so you don't have to go round and round in circles with her!_

"Where are you going?" She asked, lifting the cheetah print eye mask away from her face. "It's past lights out and you _are_ not the type to sneak off somewhere. Or are you? Is the whole goody-goody thing you've got going on just some act? Not that I would believe it, if you said it was."

Rolling my eyes, I sighed heavily and crossed my arms over my chest. "I _know_ it's past lights out, Tess and yes, you're right I'm not the type to sneak off somewhere. I have to go to the bathroom and since there's not one in the cabin, I kind of have to leave so..."

The look on her face said she didn't believe me and my heart was suddenly caught in my throat. Her features softened somewhat and she gave me a small, sly looking smile. "Just don't get caught, Juliet. If you do, your Dad is going to be _beyond_ pissed and I am _not_ taking the fall for letting his precious baby break the rules and sneak out, leaving him to punish her so he has to – you know – _appear _impartial and all."

"Don't get caught?" I asked slowly as my stomach somehow became suspended inside my body.

_There's no way she **knows** about Nate, _I thought as I rapidly became distressed. _There's just **no** way. How can she know? It's not like she saw him that day at the lake. How could she? He was hiding under the canoe._

Tess let out a brief bout of laughter before deciding to take pity on me, obviously noticing my distressed state. "Yeah, I know all about your Camp Rock Romeo." She admitted with a dismissive air. "I totally saw you guys flirting at the bonfire after your bracelet hit him in the eye. And um...Did you _really_ think I wouldn't notice you standing by a Camp Rock canoe that day the lake? Please. Like I said, don't get caught, Juliet. Cause I _won't _be saving you from Daddy's wrath."

I couldn't help but be confused. Tess _knew_ about Nate but she wasn't going to tell my Dad? That didn't make sense.

As if she could read my mind, she assured me in the softest tone I had ever heard her use, "I don't blame you for thinking that I hate you, but I really don't. I swear. It's just that you – ugh – remind me of this girl from Camp Rock. She's so...Like perfect and has the whole she-can-do-no-wrong vibe and I just _hate_ it. I know I should be mature and just let whatever bad stuff went down between us last summer go, but I can't. I'm a grudge holder, it's just who I am; I get that from my Mom. But every once in a while I can _decide_ to be nice and _this_ – me letting you sneak out of here so you can go see Nate – is me deciding to be nice. It's also my good deed for the year, so _don't_ screw it up for me by being stupid and getting caught."

I don't know _what_ came over me, but I rushed over to the tiny blonde and hugged her tightly. Quickly, she shoved me away and gave me a stiff look. "Don't _ever_ do that again. Letting you sneak out _does not_ make us BFFs. Not even close. Now get out so I can get my beauty sleep. If I don't get a full ten hours, I'm a raging bitch and you do not want to see me _rage_. Seriously."

Without a second glance, I turned on my flashlight and took off for the docks, preparing to go on a clandestine nighttime mission across the lake to see Nate.

~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~

_**Nate's POV**_

Like everyone else, I was supposed to be sleeping. Lights out had been called at least two hours ago, but I was still awake. Sleep seemed to be the furthest thing from my mind and I knew who was to blame for that unusual occurrence.

Dana.

Every time my eyes would close, I would see the sight of her chocolate eyes sparking back at me or her matching hair shimmering in the afternoon sunlight or see my name in ink marking the milky skin of her wrist.

At this rate, I was _never_ going to fall asleep again.

Groaning, I pushed the covers off my body and tried not to yelp as my bare feet made contact with the cold wood floor of the cabin I was sharing with Shane. I knew it was wrong to push Jason on the junior campers like the two of us did, but in this instance I couldn't help but be thankful that we did.

Shane was a heavy sleeper – heavy to the point that a bear attack probably wouldn't wake him up, but Jason was a very light sleeper – the slightest of noises could wake him up and that was a chance that I just couldn't afford to take.

As quietly as I could, I slipped my feet into a pair of sneakers I left by the door and after grabbing the flashlight that was on the desk in the cabin, I crept out into the night, leaving a loudly snoring Shane behind.

I wasn't sure if I was _actually_ going to risk taking a canoe all the way across the lake, but as I made my way toward the docks, I realized that wasn't a risk I had to consider. Turning on my flashlight, I could make out the faint shape of a canoe in the water and the outline of a person sitting in the small boat.

I _knew_ I shouldn't assume the person was Dana, but who else could it be?

The canoe drifted closer and closer and my heart started thrumming wildly against my chest as the girl who prevented me from sleeping became bathed in the light of my flashlight. I had no choice but to swallow thickly as my eyes raked over her thin frame.

The hoodie she wore was open and even though I knew it was wrong (I was basically _objectifying _her), I couldn't help but notice the navy tank top underneath didn't do a very good job of hiding the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra.

In an instant my body grew hot and I could feel my blood pumping through my veins, rapidly.

Quickly, I lowered my flashlight and rushed toward the edge of the docks as her canoe came to a stop. I wasn't sure if my hand was _actually_ shaking as I held it out to her, but it felt like it was. A tingle rushed up my entire arm as she placed her hand in mind, allowing me to help her out.

Once her feet were planted firmly on the wood of the dock, I breathed in as deeply as I could, but it didn't do me any good. Breathing in deeply didn't change how beautiful she was. Her hair, which I was so used to seeing flow prettily down her back, was pulled into a messy ponytail with strands haphazardly falling around her face and even though she didn't wear _much_ makeup, her face was free of any and that gave her milky skin this freshly pink tint.

The sound of her small voice asking bashfully, "Do you think so," drew me out of my thoughts and made me realize I had told her so out loud. Immediately I felt my cheeks heat up.

Clearing my throat didn't stop my voice from sounding hoarse as I whispered, "Yeah, I think so. You're really beautiful, Dana. You really are."

~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~

_**Dana's POV**_

His voice was hoarse and as my name fell from his heart-shaped lips, I felt my body being wracked by the _most_ intense shiver. It was stupid and girly, but I knew the way he said my name would be playing in my head over and over for days.

I wasn't sure what to say after he told me I looked beautiful when I _so_ obviously didn't. I was in my pajamas and a hoodie with ballet flats and wasn't wearing any makeup. There was no way I looked _anything_ close to beautiful, but that didn't matter. He told me I did and suddenly I _felt_ beautiful and not incredibly stupid for coming all the way across the lake in the middle of the night and having no idea what to say once I saw him.

"So..." He started to say as he rubbed the back of his neck absently while shuffling on his feet.

I didn't know how he made those typically nervous habits look so cute, but he did and I was grateful because it made me feel better about my own nerves. Tilting my head, I bit down on my lip momentarily and told him, "You're really cute when you do that, you know."

His eyes went wide for the briefest of moments and his cheeks flushed with heat while my heart swelled with pride. _I just made Nate Gray blush, _I thought giddily, _I did that! Me! If it wasn't __**so**__ creepy, I would make that my facebook status: made Nate Gray blush._

Far too easily another compliment tumbled from my lips, but this one was whispered in what I was sure was a purposeful husky tone as I took a bold step toward him. "You're really cute when you blush too."

Since I was _so _close, I took the chance to lean in ever so slightly and do what I wanted to do when we talked at the edge of the lake, inhale his clean, soapy smell. And when the scent filled my nose, I wasn't disappointed. I didn't think it was possible for someone to smell "perfect," but somehow the curly-haired boy in front of me smelled _perfect_.

"And even though it sounds creepy – or at least it does in my head," I murmured, laughing awkwardly as I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. "You smell so good."

I was so absorbed with my compliments that if I hadn't felt the hardness of his body absently brush mine; I wouldn't have known he had moved closer to me too. My head was spinning and I was being warmed from the inside out because of his voice reverberating in my ear. "This probably sounds creepier," He laughed and I wanted to know how to make him laugh again. "But I like the way you smell."

_Thank you Hollister California_, I thought to myself while making a mental note to tell my Mom to ship me a bottle in the next letter I wrote her in case I ran out over the course of the summer.

I turned my body slowly so that I would be face to face with his soft eyes I found so pretty and I didn't realize just _how_ close he was until the moment when I felt my breasts mesh against his chest. It didn't seem _physically _possible that I could be _any _warmer than I already was without bordering on being feverish, but the feel of our bodies being that _close_, had my temperature rising.

This was the _closest_ I had ever been to a boy and my legs quivered from the sensations that rushed through me courtesy of his new experience. The quivering was made worse as one of his hands reached up to brush a haphazard strand of hair behind my ear. My stomach swooped from the feeling of his calloused (from all the guitar playing he did) fingers trailing down the slope of my cheek in a slow, sweeping kind of motion.

"Nate," I whispered reverently as I could feel myself rising to my toes, even though he wasn't that much taller than me and with the same amount of reverence, as he leaned forward, he whispered my name, "Dana."

I could feel the cinnamon warmth of his breath ghosting across my lips and my eyes fluttered as they prepared to close in the moment when his lips would cover mine, but instead we wrenched apart like we were burned from the sound of his Uncle Brown's voice calling out, "Nate! Is that you?"

~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~

_**Nate's POV**_

_**Really, **Brown? Really? _I thought angrily as I backed further away from Dana even though that was the _last_ thing I wanted to do. _You had to pick **now** to show up? When I was so close to kissing her! Ugh!_

I felt awful as I watched her take refuge underneath her canoe just like I had to the day before. She was going to be freezing by the time she made it back across the lake and that made me sick. I wished there was something I could to prevent her from having to sink into the water, but there wasn't. All I could do was make sure Brown didn't suspect anything out of the ordinary was going on.

Suddenly, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Shane's filled my head. _Yeah, because _**_you_**_ being out at the docks during the middle of t he night is totally ordinary. Yeah, right._

"You know I would expect _this_ from Shane – the whole sneaking out after lights out. He doesn't think I knew all about his late night canoe ride with Mitchie from last summer, but there isn't _anything_ that goes on around here that your good ol' Uncle Brown doesn't know about," He told me with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Jason ending up around here makes sense too. There's always the chance he would get turned around cause – you know – directions aren't really his thing. He's like me and your Grandpa Cessario in that way. But _you_ – Nate – you're the responsible one and you being out here has me a little worried, to be honest."

"Worried?" I asked my voice cracking. "Why would you be worried? There's no reason for you to be worried. I just couldn't sleep and I thought a walk would tire me out."

He looked at me for a long time before he clapped his hand on my shoulder. "You know if you need to talk about anything, that's what I'm here for."

I could feel my brows furrowing in confusion. Why would Brown think I needed to talk about anything? "Uh...Is there something in particular you think we should talk about?"

As the question fell from my lips, I felt even _worse_ for Dana. The longer I stayed on the docks with Brown, the longer she was spending stuck underneath her canoe. I needed to find a way to end this conversation and fast.

Giving me a pointed look, Brown crossed his arms over his chest and told me evenly – _too _evenly, "I feel like _I _should be the one asking _you_ that question Nathaniel."

When he said my full name, I could feel myself panicking. Swallowing harshly, I couldn't help but think he knew about Dana. But how could he know? No one else from camp knew about her but...my brothers, I realized.

Both Shane and Jason had seen us together at the bonfire. But they wouldn't have said anything to Brown, would they?

Trying my best to shake off the feeling of dread, I swallowed again and before I could even ask the question I didn't _really _want to; Brown stopped me by clearing his throat and saying, "I'm sure it's very cold underneath that canoe, Miss Turner! You'll feel better if you come out now. Trust me."

"Brown," I started to say, but he cut me off with a sharp shake of his head. "Just make sure she's dry and back across the lake before her father gets word that she's gone. You and I will talk about this in the morning."

Turning away from Brown's retreating figure, I saw Dana climbing out from under her canoe, soaking wet and shivering. Walking over to her, I told her, "I don't know how he figured out it was you who was underneath the canoe and I'm sorry. It's my fault you got caught. I should have done a better job of getting rid of him. But if you look on the bright side, at least you'll be dry when you get back to Camp Star. That has to count for something right?"

She laughed softly while waving her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Things could have been _a lot _worse for both of us. Your Uncle could have called my Dad and _that_ is something I definitely don't want to deal with – at least not without a full night's sleep, anyway."

"Come on," I said, grabbing her hand without a second thought. "You can dry off in my cabin."

"You have your own cabin?" She wondered arching a curious brow.

"Not exactly. I share one with Shane but he's such a heavy sleeper a bear wouldn't wake him up."

"You know...Um...Just to be on the safe side – given what could have happened with your Uncle just now – why don't you just give me a towel and I'll dry off out here? I know yous aid your brother's a heavy sleeper but I don't think we should take any more chances tonight."

I didn't want her to go, but she was right. There was always the chance – even if it was a small one – that Shane would wake up, and how was I supposed to explain Axel Turner's daughter being in our cabin? And even if I could come up with a plausible reason that would satisfy him, it's not like he would just let something like _that_ go. Not after what Axel was doing to our Uncle.

Neither of us said a word as she took off her soaked hoodie and began rubbing the beach towel, I gave her, over her bare arms and then squeezed the water from her long hair, after taking it out of its ponytail. She handed me back the towel and mumbled a quick, "Thanks," before taking off.

Walking back into the cabin, I couldn't help but wonder if I would _ever_ be able to get anything right when it when it came to her. I totally screwed up a potential _moment_ and I nearly got her in trouble by not being able to get rid of my Uncle Brown at the docks. She must think I'm as big of an idiot as I do.

_End Note: I am absorbing myself into the book The Hunger Games this weekend and I have my first presentation for my Women's Study class on Monday while Tuesday is my next test in Philosophy, so it'll probably be a while before I update. Though, I have most of chapter five written, but before I post it, I want up to at least chapter eight written so you guys aren't waiting forever during updates._

_Thanks again for reading, adding this to your alerts and favorites. You're awesome for it. And BTW, if you've already read The Hunger Games, tell me what you think in your review. I've heard nothing but great things and I'm nothing if not a book whore so I'm excited for it!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: I know Dana wasn't involved in "It's On," but I always found it strange that the competition was never addressed between her and Nate. I also think Nate should have been more conflicted about the challenge, so that's how I'm writing this part of the movie._

_Also during the start of Dana's POV, I'm addressing why Tess was late to rehearse with Luke. Partly because I'm curious when it comes to stuff like that, but mostly because I'm enjoying writing Tess and Dana. They've become surprisingly fun for me, LOL. _

_And um just like the previous chapter, this story is now earning it's T rating. Like the adorable times a bajillion Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel on Glee) said via twitter sometimes people just like to wonder...Or in this case Nate and Dana's eyes like to wander – see what I did there? Genius, I know. LOL._

_**Nate's POV**_

I had never felt nervous in front of Brown before, but as his brown eyes – the same eyes my mother had – stared back at me, I felt like I was going to throw up. I knew he wasn't happy about Dana sneaking out in the middle of the night to come see me and if I was in his position, I wouldn't be happy either.

But his constant staring and the dead air that hung in the room from his silence, were starting to get to me and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you just going to stare at me? Or are you _actually_ going to tell me how unhappy you are?"

My eyes went wide after I snapped at him. That was something I didn't expect to happen.

Not to mention, it was eerie how much I sounded like Shane when I did it. And that was definitely not _something_ to be proud of. _He_ was the snapper and the over reactor, _I_ was the sensible, quiet one.

What the hell was going on?

Swallowing slowly, I let out the breath I had been holding ever since I made the long trek from my cabin to Brown's office and I apologized. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, Brown. I really didn't mean it. I just...I want to get this over with, you know? It's not like I don't know you're unhappy with me."

My uncle's stance softened and he let his arms fall away from his chest. Sitting on his desk, he let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I'm not necessarily unhappy _with_ you, Nate. If anything, I'm unhappy with this whole situation that _Axel_ has put me in by opening Camp Star and then of course pulling that stunt at his bonfire – you know stealing nearly _all_ the staff I had left. And I know what you and Dana have going on – whatever it is – doesn't have _anything_ to do with me and Axel, but you two should probably cool it. The last thing I need is Axel coming over here all riled up about _my_ nephew corrupting _his_ innocent little girl, _not_ that you would do something like that, but still..."

"You don't have to worry about that." I interrupted him dejectedly. "After last night, things don't need to be cooled down. It's pretty cool already."

"Pretty cool already?" Skepticism was in both Brown's voice and on his face. "From what I saw last night, I would have to disagree."

"Nothing happened after you left." I assured him, crossing my arms over my chest. "And I don't think anything will happen."

I paused for a moment before I sighed heavily, "Honestly, though, I'm not even sure I'll see Dana again. After drying off, she just ran off so you can relax, Brown."

"I'll _never_ relax when it comes to Axel Turner. Never."

"We're not talking about Dana's Dad, we're talking about _Dana_ and she's nothing like him. But like I said, you don't have to worry about the two of us. Can I go now? I really just want to get back to doing the counselor thing. Surprisingly I'm _actually_ enjoying teaching the drum class. The campers are really good this year, _really_ good."

"Oh, don't be so down, chum. As the old saying goes, there are plenty of fish in the sea. More _importantly_, there are plenty of fish that _aren't_ related to your dear old Uncle Brown's sworn enemy. You'll like _those_ fish better, I promise."

I knew Brown was trying to get me to smile, but his corniness never did before and it wasn't going to now.

Not when it came to Dana.

But that didn't stop me from giving him a brief upturn of my lips before leaving the office.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

"What did Brown want?" I heard Shane ask after I shut the door to Brown's office behind me.

"Do _you_ have to ask?" I grumbled, sitting next to him on the steps. "It's not like you don't already know."

"For the record, I didn't tell him anything about the Camp Star girl whose bracelet hit you in the eye at the bonfire." Shane assured, holding up his hands defensively.

Taking a deep breath, his eyes locked with mine and he speculated, "He _obviously_ figured it out on his own. And um, seriously, bro it's not like you were doing a great job of hiding it. I totally knew you were staring at her when you were _supposedly_ doing lifeguard duty the other day."

"It doesn't matter if you said anything or not. I've already screwed everything up. So how about we don't talk about this ever again? I would feel a lot better if we never did."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? I mean I'd be happy to help you out. I do," He said in what I'm sure he believed to be a suave voice. "Have a way with the ladies."

I rolled my eyes and remarked dryly, "What does Mitchie see in you again?"

"That depends," Both Shane and I turned our heads at the sound of his girlfriend's familiar warm tone. "Was that a rhetorical question, Nate? Or do you really want to know?"

"Personally speaking, that was a rhetorical question, Mitchie. But since I was just getting ready to leave, you can share all of my brother's amazing," The sarcasm in my voice had her painted lips stretching into a brighter smile as she laughed. "Qualities with him."

I was halfway down the stairs, when her arm shot out to stop me. "Not so fast."

Arching an eyebrow, I asked, "Not so fast? Aren't you here to see Shane?"

"Not exactly." She admitted somewhat sheepishly, her doe eyes drifting down to her feet.

"I'm here to see both of you, actually. Last night during the campfire, Peggy, Barron, Sander, Caitlyn, Ella and I were all talking about the bonfire at Camp Star and how we wished we had stood up to them. You know showed them that Camp Rock was just as good and that we didn't need all that flashy stuff. So I came up with this idea...To um," She paused to take a deep breath. "Switch up Final Jam this year. Instead of all the campers performing, it would be us vs. them."

My stomach suddenly became twisted into the tightest knots it had ever been. _Camp Rock vs. Camp Star? __Was she serious? _

"I think that's a great idea." Shane spoke up, making my eyes go wide. "This could really help Camp Rock and Brown too; _we_ both know that he's been wanting to get back at Axel for years now. He tells us every Thanksgiving and Christmas."

"You're awful quiet, Nate..." Mitchie said hesitantly, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip.

Swallowing hard, I couldn't deny that Shane was right. If Camp Rock came out on the right side of this Final Jam thing, everything could change. It would be great for the camp that Brown had worked so hard to build up from what I remember to be a loan from our parents and not much else. But challenging Camp Star to this battle of the bands or whatever, would mean going _across the lake_ and the possibility of seeing Dana again.

And if I did see her again, what was I supposed to say?

Letting out a rush of air, I nodded and said with more resolution than enthusiasm, "This doesn't happen often, but I agree with Shane. I think your Final Jam idea is great."

Before I knew what happened, the petite brunette let out an excited yelp that made me wince and then she leapt at me with a force I didn't think her small frame was capable of. To keep both of us from falling down, I wrapped my arms around her and gently patted her on the back before releasing her.

"What?" Shane asked indignantly. "I don't get a hug?"

Mitchie laughed before bounding toward him. I could see the apples of her cheeks flush as she peered up at him through the dark fans of her long eyelashes and as she rose on her toes, I shook my head and walked away to give them their privacy.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Dana's POV**_

I didn't know why I even bothered looking for anything to wear.

Today wasn't going to be any different than all the days before. I was going to go up to the platform and I was going to play my piano. It's not like any international pop stars with soft, really pretty brown eyes, heart-shaped lips that twisted into adorable half-smiles and thick, dark curls that I wanted to run my fingers through were going to show up.

Sighing, I shut the closet that was on my side of the cabin and decided to ruffle through my suitcases. Finding a pair of cropped navy sweat pants and a white deep v-neck graphic T-shirt with a large lily on the front that looked like it was painted with water colors, I decided why not? I didn't have to dress in preparation for anyone seeing me, so why act like it?

It would be a miracle if I ever saw Nate again, anyway.

Slipping my feet into a pair of blue suede Puma sneakers, I twisted my hair absently into a ponytail and prevented any strands from escaping with two blue headbands. Not bothering with any lipgloss or blush, I was about to make my way outside, when Tess' forceful voice stopped me.

"Stop right there, Turner!"

_Turner? _I thought absently, _Since when does she call me Turner? Wait a second, she doesn't even call me Dana._

Turning around, I found the petite blonde in what had become a familiar pose. Her hands were poised on her hips while her pouty lips were pursed together and her oceanic eyes were narrowed in disapproval.

"Unless you've suddenly taken up running, it's my duty as your quasi-friend or roommate or whatever, to stop you from walking out of this cabin looking like..." She paused and wrinkled her perfectly upturned nose as she finished with disdain, "_That._"

I looked down at myself before looking back at her, coming to the conclusion that there wasn't anything wrong with what I was wearing.

Rolling my eyes, I told her, "You may want to impress everyone with your perfectly coordinated outfits, but that's not something I'm interested in doing. It's _summer camp_, not a _fashion runway_. Sweats, a T-shirt and sneakers are perfectly fine. I'm sure there's someone else around here who has a real fashion emergency that you can help."

"Seriously," She stressed the word emphatically. "You'd let _Nate_ see you like _that_? Are you insane? You're not even wearing lipgloss! And your hair? So not cute. It looks like you swooped it up because you forgot to wash it."

_Don't hold back, Tess,_ a voice inside my head said. _Tell me how you really feel._

I don't know why I decided to tell her about what happened with Nate the night before, but I did. Walking away from the door, I sat down on my bed and I had to admit (even if it was internally), she surprised me by sitting with me.

"He was there when my canoe pulled up to the docks and even in my pajamas, ballet flats and hoodie, he told me I looked beautiful," I could feel my lips turn upwards at the memory. "We didn't talk all that much, but we came _so close_ to kissing and then his Uncle Brown caught us. He didn't say anything, which was nice and um...After drying off outside the cabin he shares with his brother Shane, that was sort of it. I didn't want to get him in any more trouble than he was already in, so I came back."

"So?" Tess questioned with a scoff. "That doesn't mean anything. Well, the almost kissing means _something_, but all that other stuff, please." She waived her hand dismissively. "Forget about everything that happened after Brown showed up. He almost kissed you and it's not like he would do that and just forget about you. This is Nate Gray, we're talking about. He's the sweet, sensitive one, remember?"

It was hard not to roll my eyes at Tess' description of Nate. She had to know, I knew she got it out of some stupid magazine like _Tween Weekly_ or _J-14_. "He can be sweet and sensitive and have really pretty eyes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to see him again. And even if I did, does it _really_ matter what I'm wearing?"

Unlike me, the pretty blonde didn't hold back her eye roll. "It _always_ matters what you're wearing. _Always._ Which is why you're changing out of that monstrosity and putting on something that will make you look H-O-T, _hot._ And don't even try to say no. I'm like Kurt Hummel, I live for makeovers."

"Tess..." Her name left my lips in a warning tone, but that didn't stop her from leaping off of my bed and moving to stand in front of my closet.

With lightening speed, my clothes were being tossed out and I could only sit on my bed, immobile in disbelief at what was happening. I groaned as she tossed out a sweater dress I had packed for cool nights and insisted, "I can pick out my clothes just fine on my own. I really don't need your help."

"Ha!" She snorted. "What you're wearing says otherwise, Turner. Just be thankful I'm doing you this favor. The last thing, I'm sure you want is to look any less than radiant in front of your Romeo. He may have said you looked beautiful last night on the docks, but come on! He's lovestruck or whatever. That means him calling you beautiful doesn't count."

"Gee, Tess, you sure know how to make a girl feel good."

"It's not my job to make you _feel_ good." She sighed as if she was making a grand sacrifice. "I'm here to make you _look_ good. And I just found the perfect outfit that will do the trick. Nate's eyes are _soooo_ going to bug out of his head when he sees you. I mean seriously, I don't know why you insist on covering up your legs in those awful leggings and tights you wear. I'd kill for your legs. Seriously."

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&d~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

I couldn't help but squirm as I stood in front of Tess wearing the outfit she had picked out.

Normally I wouldn't squirm in a soft cardigan with a pair of distressed denim shorts, but at Tess' assistance and my reluctance, I wasn't wearing a shirt underneath the cardigan – _just_ a bra – hence the squirming. I felt vaguely exposed and as her hands came up to undo several buttons, I batted them away, harshly.

Staring her down, I took advantage that I stood at least a head over her and shook my head adamantly. "I don't think so, Tyler. Is it not enough for you that I'm _only_ wearing a bra?"

She scrunched up her perfect nose for a moment and with a huff, she told me, "It wouldn't _kill_ you to unbutton a couple of buttons."

Pulling on the bottom of the cardigan, I desperately wanted to reach for the camisole I could feel underneath my bare feet, but I didn't. Instead I twisted my hair out of its ponytail and took off my headbands, letting the thick locks fall down my back and shoulders in their normal way. That made me feel a little bit better, but I was still a little self-conscious.

"Are you sure I look okay?" I asked in a small voice that made me cringe.

"You look great. Now go put on the black rain boots I saw near your bedside table. Rain boots aren't just – you know – for rain this season. Trust me."

My brows furrowed as I took in the sight of the rubbery boots laying near the aforementioned bedside table and for some reason my eyes found the clock in the room, which only made my brows furrow deeper. "Uh, Tess," I said slowly. "Don't you have to meet Luke for something? Isn't that what you were complaining about this morning while we brushed our teeth after breakfast?"

"Oh, yeah," She replied, sounding bored. "I totally forgot about that. Oh well, it's not like he'll die if I'm a little late. Before I go, no matter how badly you want to, don't put on the cami that's underneath your feet. You'll throw off the whole look and it's probably wrinkled by now anyway."

Forgoing her suggestion of rain boots, which did not make sense to me _at all_, I settled for a pair of flip flops and then made my way out of my cabin and to my usual perch at my piano on the platform near the amphitheater.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Nate's POV**_

It was hard _not_ to be unsure about this whole Camp Rock vs. Camp Star challenge thing as I made my way across the lake with everyone who definitely was more enthusiastic about it than me.

Though, the logical part of myself had a point – why be worried about what Dana was going to say once she knew what was happening (and she'd _know_) – when I wasn't even sure if I'd see her again?

But knowing that didn't stop this lingering feeling that was nagging at me. It was the feeling that I didn't want to upset her. That I didn't want this thing to impact what she thought of me.

Although, I couldn't understand why I was I _so_ worried about losing something I technically didn't even have?

Sighing, I took off my hat and ran my fingers through my curls and just as I put it back on my head, I heard

Shane ask, "Are you okay, dude? And don't do what you _always_ do and sigh before you say you're fine. I want you to tell me the truth, Nate."

He paused like he thought I needed his words to sink in, even though I didn't. Then he asked me again, "Are you okay?"

I didn't sigh but I still told him I was fine, which lead him to stopping right where we were instead of continuing on with the rest of the campers and crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at me pointedly.

"I told you that I'm fine, Shane, what more do you want from me? I'm here and I know why we're all doing this, okay? I want Camp Rock to be here for as long as Brown wants to run it. I don't want anyone to force him to shut it down. Some of my best memories were spent here just like yours and just like Jason's, so don't imply that I'm not all in. Cause I am."

Sharply, I turned away from my older brother and as the resounding cheers of "Camp Rock!," rang out from the other campers as they clapped in unison, I kept their rhythm with the drumsticks in my hand and yelled along with them.

Once we made our way down the hill, it was hard not to go along with the impulse that told me to look for Dana, but instead of finding her familiar head of shimmering chocolate hair, there was only Tess and Luke, and I couldn't help the relief that flooded my frame in an instant.

As nervous as Mitchie had seemed when she told Shane and I about her idea, she definitely wasn't nervous now. It was like looking at another person as she took confident strides toward Tess and Luke, who were obviously surprised by the bold move we had all made.

"Yeah, that's right, _we're_ here on _your_ stage," She told them. "So you guys didn't really give us a chance to answer back last night, but guess what? That's going to change."

Backing up to her original position as head of the formation the campers made, she issued the challenge of, "Camp Rock vs. Camp Star: The Final Jam, what do you guys think about that?"

It was obvious by the way, Tess and Luke stepped back to be with the other Camp Star campers who were on the stage, that they were willing to take her challenge. Behind my drum kit and away from where the real fireworks were, I still scanned the scene for Dana, and I couldn't help but feel better that she wasn't around to see all of this.

My concern for what she would think, fell away, however when I heard Barron call out, "Drums!," which was my cue and I began attacking my preferred instrument with passion and precision.

"A little guitar, please!" His best friend Sander shouted as Shane and Jason began to play and then Mitchie's voice rang out with, "I hope you're ready for the time of your life..."

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Dana's POV**_

_Show me, show me, show me...Show me, show what you got...Come on, come on, come on...Come on, ready or not...La, la, la, la, la, la...Let me see how you bop...It's on, it's on, it's on..._

From my perch on the platform, I realized the melody I had been playing on my piano was being drowned out by something much louder – singing. The song wasn't one I recognized, but I brushed it off. I

knew Tess had gone to see Luke after she left me in our cabin so I figured they were engaging in some sort of diva-off, not unlike Kurt and Rachel from _Glee_ did during its first season; only I was sure neither would purposefully throw it for the greater good.

As the singing grew louder, it didn't take me long to figure out that more than two people were singing.

Turning away from my piano, I saw campers from Camp Rock engaged in what looked like to be a scene that was reminiscent of _The Jets vs. The Sharks_ from _Westside Story_ with Tess and Luke and some of the other campers from Camp Star.

I couldn't help but be confused at what exactly was going on down on the amphitheater stage, so I decided to move a little closer and investigate. I swallowed as I ducked behind one of the bushes that lined the hill that would take you down to the stage, my eyes immediately finding Nate behind his drum kit. My heart pounded against my ribcage as I watched him expertly pound the skins of the drums.

It was hard not to get caught up in the sight. Most fans of Connect Three liked when he played the guitar or piano, I liked seeing him behind the drums, though.

Getting lost in the sight of him playing the drums, didn't last long. As the song came to a crescendo, I suddenly saw my Dad walking toward the stage as he clapped his hands. He stopped near the fifth or fourth row of seats and took off his sunglasses, and from my hiding place, I could practically see the wheels turning in his head and I suddenly felt nervous.

"I'm impressed." He announced, surprising everyone on the stage , I'm sure. "A little healthy competition is _exactly_ what we need. A champion," He emphasized the word, making me cringe. "_Always_ needs a good sparring partner!"

I giggled at the look of pure confusion on Luke's face, when he asked, his voice colored with shock, "We do?"

Ignoring him, he walked a little further down and in a casual tone questioned, "So...You really think you can take my guys on, head to head?"

Scoffs rang out amongst the Camp Rockers and a brunette that I didn't recognize answered him confidently and succinctly. "Anytime, anyplace." She assured.

As if she hadn't spoken, he was rattling off ideas, "Maybe use our amphitheater..."

The next Rocker who spoke was one I did recognize, even if it was in a vague way. She was Mitchie Torres, Nate's brother, Shane's girlfriend. Even though, she wasn't famous, it wasn't hard to place her as the "ordinary girl" who had captured the once difficult pop star's heart the summer before.

"It doesn't matter where." She said. "We just know that Camp Rock, is gonna blow you guys away."

"I'm sure an audience would be a better judge of that." My Dad offered, making my stomach sink.

"Bring it on!" A chestnut-haired girl in pink sweat pants shouted amiably. "You can pack it with _anyone_ that _you_ want!"

And that's when my Dad went in for the kill, and if it was possible, my stomach sank even further. "What about a world-wide audience? How about we put this little competition on TV? Have the public decide who's really the best."

After he made his suggestion, which he knew they wouldn't be able to say no to, I held my breath in hopes that cooler heads would prevail, even though I knew I was just wasting my time.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Nate's POV**_

My heart stopped as Axel's words rang repeatedly in my ears. _What about a world-wide audience? How about we put this little competition on TV? Have the public decide who's really the best._

As much as I believed in what we were all doing, the painfully logical part of me knew we didn't stand a chance against Camp Star.

In front of a world-wide audience, the music and the soul and the heart could _only_ take you so far. All anyone who was watching on TV would see was the pyro, the stage (that was _so obviously_ theirs), and the dozens of special fx they would have and conversely they would see everything we didn't.

I knew how much Mitchie wanted to save Camp Rock – how much we all did, really – but they had to know the same thing I did.

Her confidence from earlier was wavering and she looked almost as sheepish as she did when she first told Shane and I her idea for this whole thing. Her voice quivered just a little and I guessed she realized what I had already. "Uh...I don't really know about this..."

Her hesitation earned a chuckle from Luke who needled her by saying, "Not such a big talker now, are you?"

She glared at him, but didn't say anything as Peggy's voice rang out, "But that would be so cool!"

"The whole world would see us!" Caitlyn yelled as her encouragement to Mitchie.

"Uh..." She started to say just as Sander reminded her urgently, "Come on, Mitchie, this could be huge!"

My heart that I believe had stopped, was suddenly lodged in my throat as I waited for her answer. There was no way she was actually considering taking Axel up on his offer. She had to know that this was just his way of getting back at Brown, of making her boyfriend's uncle look like a joke. She had to.

But apparently she didn't. Instead of saying no or telling him she'd let him know what Brown had to say about it, all she said was, "You're on."

Everyone's cheers and hollers filled the amphitheater with noise, but the only noise I heard was the rattling of my drumsticks as they fell out of my suddenly limp hands from the shock of what had just happened.

With all of the commotion happening, I almost didn't hear the harsh whisper of, "Pssst!" coming from behind me. Confused, I turned to look over my shoulder and crouched behind the stage was Dana. My eyes went wide and my heart that had been in my throat seconds before, was suddenly rapidly pounding against my chest.

_What was she doing? _I thought as panic raced through me. _Didn't she know what just happened?_

"Come on," She urged, her voice still tinged with a harsh whisper. "We can't talk here. But I um...I think we should."

I knew I shouldn't want to follow her, but her expressive eyes were pleading and I couldn't stop myself.

Honestly though, I would have followed her anyway just because she was willing to talk to me after the fiasco that was the night before, which instead of ending with a kiss (like it could have), it ended with her running off.

Standing amongst the bushes near the backstage area, I was swallowing hard and my heart was pounding against my chest for different reasons than before. It was hard not to notice the severe V the navy of her cardigan made against the milky skin of her upper body and for the first time (last night not withstanding), my eyes were drifting away from hers because I knew the only thing underneath her cardigan was her bra.

I could feel my cheeks and neck heating up as my eyes moved lower down her body and took in the sight of her lengthy legs. I had seen her wear shorts on the day, I made my way across the lake, but that day she had been wearing tights; today her legs were bare. I swallowed again when I realized so were most of her thighs given the length (or lack thereof) of her denim shorts.

When my eyes met hers again, I couldn't help but wonder if she knew that I had been staring. Silently she answered my question as I saw the apples of her cheeks flush with a warm pink tint, and while I should regret where my eyes had been, the pink tint to her milky skin only made her more beautiful and I couldn't.

"So..." I said before my voice trailed off as I realized too late that I didn't know how to start this conversation.

"If I could have stopped my Dad from going on with his whole thing about putting the competition on TV, I would have. I swear! It's just that – you know – if I had tried to stop him, what could I say? You know the boy you told me you didn't want me talking to – well, I'm still talking to him and oh yeah, I almost kissed him and the camp your in competition with means everything to him so I don't think you should do this? Is that what I was supposed to say? Cause I think both of us know how well that..."

"Dana!" I shouted her name, which effectively stopped her rambling.

Giving her one of my rare smiles – this one even showed my teeth (something that was _extremely_ rare) – I told her as warmth erupted in the pit of my stomach from taking her hand in mine, which I didn't even realize I did until I felt her fingers wrap around mine, "It's cute when you ramble, but you don't have to worry. I know why you didn't say anything. Just like you know why I didn't."

She nodded and with her free hand, did what I had been wanting to do for awhile, tucked her shimmering strands of chocolate hair behind her ear. "Yeah." She murmured, the softness of her voice, skating along my nerve endings. "So um...This whole competition thing, it's not going to change anything that's going on with us, right? I mean we're still going to give 100% and all, but you're like not going to hate me or anything right?"

I gave her hand a squeeze and held her eyes with my own. "I could never hate you. With as big of a disaster as I've been around you, I'm just glad you're still talking to me. I didn't think that was going to happen after last night – you still talking to me, I mean, but I'm glad you are."

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Dana's POV**_

Eventually, I knew I wouldn't be surprised at how _easy_ it was to get lost in Nate's eyes, but right now, I was still a little surprise at the lack of wandering my own did; especially when they had every reason to wander. But the memory of feeling his hard frame against mine and how the softness of my breasts meshed against the solidness of chest, was _exactly_ the encouragement my eyes needed to wander.

The way the light-weight cotton stretched over the expanse of his chest, made the solidness I had experienced, visual and the definition of his arms was highlighted as the sun's warmth beat down on the somewhat neutral tone of his skin.

My temperature rose and my whole body, I was sure (even the parts covered by my clothes) was flushed pink. Bringing my eyes back up to his, I tried to think of something to say before one of us inevitably had to rush off (like always), but my mind was blank. Well, not _completely_ blank. It was clearly too absorbed with the way he looked and the want to _finally_ feel his lips on mine, that conversation wasn't its number one priority.

I boldly moved closer as my hand fell away from his. I missed the warmth and the strength his hand held while it encircled mine, but I wanted to make up for last night more than I wanted him to hold my hand.

Right now him holding my hand wasn't important. And besides hand holding could always (maybe) come later – you know if no one caught us standing amongst the bushes near the backstage area.

I brushed my frame against his and a shudder rushed through me, from head to toe.

The combination from the sturdiness of his waist, to the roughness of his jeans scraping my bare legs and his clean, soapy smell, had my head spinning. I wasn't sure how I was standing as my legs quivered underneath me just like they had the night before and as I leaned in, I was taken by surprise as his arms wound around my back, ensuring that I was completely pressed against him.

My head fell against the crook of his neck and I giggled as I felt one of his hands touch my hair. I knew we couldn't stay like this for much longer, but I had to ask why he wanted to touch my hair.

In the end, I never got the chance because the sound of approaching footsteps caused us to break away. I could see Tess and Luke coming down the steps and I tried my best to ignore the brief sweep of his hand across the small of my back as he made his getaway.

Biting my lip, my eyes fluttered as I tried to commit the warmth and heft of his body against mine. My tongue slipped from my mouth to wet my lips and I had to swallow because my throat was suddenly dry and thick.

And even though, I had objected to Tess' outfit selection, once Luke was gone I would have to tell her thank you. Because I wanted nothing more than to have Nate look at me the way he did after we ended up standing here, again. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, my stomach swooped, goosebumps erupted across my skin and yet at the same time, I was warm all over – from the inside to the outside.

"What are you doing back here?" The raspy tone of Luke's voice drew me out of my head, the sound cracking in the silence the sharpness of a whip.

I blinked repeatedly in an attempt to regain my senses. Clearing my throat, I shrugged my shoulders casually, "I decided to take the long way to the cabins from my perch on the platform and as I came down, I saw that the stage was occupied. So what was all that about?"

Luke crossed his arms over his chest and Tess' oceanic eyes gleamed knowingly as she stood by his side.

"_All that_?" He questioned, his voice sounded higher – almost like he had been insulted. "_All that_ was us being challenge on our own turf by people who don't want to do anything, that's what all that was. And your Dad – he agreed to the challenge. So that means rehearsal – bright and early – starting tomorrow. Don't be late and don't get nervous."

To my surprise, as he walked past me, he pushed his shoulder into mine. My eyes went wide and I was blinking again, but for an entirely different reason. "So that just happened," I mumbled to myself, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Since Luke doesn't know, it's up to me to add this to his demands of – don't be late and don't be nervous – don't even think of throwing this competition for your Camp Rock Romeo, Turner. You better be sweating, hurting, aching and giving 100% just like the rest of us. Because if you _even_ think of pulling that stunt, I'll run and tell your Daddy everything I know."

Sighing heavily, I assured Tess, "Relax, okay? There's no need for threats. I know what I have to do and Nate knows what he has to do. This whole competition thing doesn't have anything to do with the two of us. I'm not giving anything less than 100%. I want us to win."

"You better." And just like Luke, as she walked past me, she pushed her shoulder into mine.

_Looks like quasi-friend was too much of a leap for her_, I thought with a disdainful shake of my head. _Guess we're back to being silent roommates_.

_End Note: This note is to alert all of you that we are one step closer to the pinnacle of adorableness, which is of course, Nate singing "Introducing Me" to Dana. Eeeek!_

_Now here's the scoopage for the next chapter, four words: brotherly bonding and kissing. Yes, that's right I said kissing. I feel like JONAS L.A. (for some reason) is ugh jipping us out of a Nacy kiss and Camp Rock 2 jipped us out of a Nate and Dana kiss so there will be a kiss in the next chapter._

_For me, I think it sets up the little mini fight Dana and Nate have before "Introducing Me" better – if you know they had kissed or at least you know hugged. Because for me, not telling her anything about himself wasn't enough for Dana to be mad at Nate._


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: Two songs are used in this chapter and since there's a POV switch, there's also a song switch. One song that reflects Dana's and obviously one that reflects Nate's._

_The kiss is strictly done in Dana's POV and the song "Want To" by Sugarland to me reflects how she feels in that moment perfectly. Then when Dana confronts Nate on the bench, the song that fits perfectly for me is the song "As She's Walking Away" by Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson. _

_It is recommended that you listen to both at each specified instance._

_**Nate's POV**_

I knew I should have been helping with the performance, but I couldn't stop myself from sneaking away from all the chaos and taking refuge at the lake. Settling into a crouch that was as comfortable as possible, I lifted the binoculars that hung from my neck, to my eyes and I stared at the familiar site that was Dana at her piano.

For now, she was alone and since it was just a little past noon, the sun was high in the sky and it was doing that thing where it helped her chocolate hair shimmer. I swallowed thickly as my mind drifted back to the last time we saw each other and how her head had fallen into the crook of my neck. I felt a shiver rush through me as if I could _actually_ feel the warmth of her breath tickling my skin like it had the day before.

Sighing, I wished my only option for seeing her wasn't to risk borrowing (and yes, I'm using the term "borrowing" _loosely_) a canoe so I could sneak across the lake. The want inside of me to kiss her was only growing stronger by the day and being as close as we were the day before wasn't helping. It was like every time my eyes would close, all I would see was the two of us on the docks that night and her rising on her toes just before Brown showed up.

Sometimes, I would get lucky and in my head, Brown wouldn't show up and the kiss would actually happen, but I couldn't live in my head forever. I had to know how her lips felt, how they tasted.

I could feel my body growing warm and I swallowed again. Just as I was about to look through the binoculars, I heard Shane's voice from behind me and I turned around.

"I don't even know why I'm here." He proclaimed, throwing his arms up in frustration.

I wasn't sure what he wanted me to say or if he wanted me to say anything, so I didn't. He would let me know either way by what he did next. And apparently he didn't want me to say anything because he just shook his head and told me, "Take my advice and never get a girlfriend," before taking off in the other direction.

Shaking my head, I brought the binoculars back to my eyes and I couldn't help but mumble, "I don't think that'll be a problem."

_If you weren't such a chicken about borrowing a canoe, getting a girlfriend wouldn't be a problem, now would it, smart guy? _

Ignoring the voice in my head, I looked through the lenses just as Dana stopped playing her piano and grabbed her own set of binoculars, to my surprise. Slowly, I dropped mine away from my eyes as she looked at me through hers and my cheeks and neck flushed quickly. We both took our binoculars away from our eyes and I found her waiving and smiling brightly at me from her perch. My lips curved upward slightly and I waived back, wanting to stay hidden behind the trees with my binoculars until she left her perch at her piano, even though I knew that wasn't possible.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

Not that I would actually say so out loud – I was known as the "serious one" for a reason, you know – but Shane did have a point about "all work and no spray, making for an unhappy rocker," I acknowledged silently as I filled up the biggest bucket I could find with a whole bunch of water balloons.

Water fights weren't really my thing, but I knew loosening up the campers would be a good way to get them back on track before the performance.

Sometimes even when something as big as the survival of Camp Rock was at stake, you had to let off some steam before getting down to business. And if throwing water balloons, jumping into the lake, running and screaming, and shooting off water guns would do it, then you just had to do what you had to do.

Eventually, the fight died down and everyone went back to their cabins to dry off and change clothes before the nightly campfire took place.

I would have been out there with everyone else, but instead I was still inside my cabin planning my escape that would take me across the lake. Sneaking out wasn't exactly going to be hard – with the way Shane sleeps and snores (like a grizzly bear), he wouldn't notice I was gone and there was always the chance he would be doing some sneaking out of his own, anyway.

The hard part was getting a canoe. Late night canoe rides were, after all, Shane and Mitchie's thing and I doubted they would take the risk of being caught in her cabin together if Brown decided to send some of the other counselors on bed checks. Besides, one canoe being gone in the middle of the night was strange enough...Two would send the counselors into a wide spread panic.

And I had told Brown things were "pretty cool" between me and Dana. Of course that was before yesterday and I found out, by some kind of miracle, that she still wanted to talk to me.

"Damn," I cursed as I looked up at the ceiling. I put my hands behind my head and my eyes started to close just as the proverbial light bulb went off in my head. I didn't have to worry about sneaking out _later_, I could just leave now. Shane was taking Mitchie out on a moonlight picnic, which meant I didn't have to worry about two canoes being gone – by the time I made it across the lake, they would be bringing theirs back.

My foot was just about to touch the cabin's floor, after I had climbed nearly all the way down from the top bunk, when I heard the door slam. _That can't be good._

Turning around, I saw Shane haphazardly drop his picnic basket and flashlight on the floor before stomping over to the bottom bunk. He picked up the guitar that was propped up next to the frame of the bunks and as he began to strum, I realized he had no clue I was still in the room. Deciding to use that to my advantage, I quietly crept to the door and grabbed the flashlight before shutting the door and making my way to the activity cabin where the canoes were kept.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Dana's POV**_

Sneaking out after lights out was _always_ risky, but it was slightly _less_ risky when you _weren't_ taking a canoe and going across the lake to defy your father by talking to a boy he didn't want you to.

Laying down amongst the dewy grass that was about three feet from the shoreline of the lake, I sighed and wiggled my bare feet against its rough wetness. I started to laugh because (if you can believe it) like my Dad I was extremely ticklish. Holding back the loud laughter, I wanted to let loose, I was about to put my hands behind my head and stare up at the night sky, when I could see the blue light that only came from a flashlight shining in the distance.

My heart sped up inside my chest and without even realizing it, I was holding my breath as the blue light got closer and closer. My legs moved of their own accord – somehow – because as I stood up, they felt like jelly. My heart was beating faster and in a rush, the breath I had been holding, tumbled off my lips as I was able to make out the familiar sight of Nate's curls atop his head as the canoe came to a stop.

"Are you crazy?" I asked in a breathless tone as I made my way to the edge of the lake.

A low and throaty chuckle escaped his heart-shaped lips and all the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. It was as if I could feel _that_ low, throaty sound reverberate through me. He stepped out of the canoe and in an instant, my nose was filled with his clean, soapy scent that I longed to breathe in whenever I would think about him.

"I might be a little crazy." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I'm not any crazier than you are. You did sneak away to see me once."

My cheeks flushed as my mind became flooded with the images of our almost kiss that happened on the docks of Camp Rock. But they flushed deeper when I remembered what happened the day before – how my body had brushed against his, the head to toe shiver I felt, having all of me pressed against all of him, and his arms wrapped around me.

That had _all_ felt so good, but as I stood there on the edge of the lake, I couldn't help but want _more_. I wanted to _finally_ make up for the chance we didn't get when I snuck across the lake to see him. As much as I longed to breathe in his smell, I longed to kiss him even more.

A shaky breath tumbled from my lips, as I stepped closer to him. Peering up at him through the fans of my thick eyelashes, I wondered if he could see the want I had to kiss him inside my eyes?

It was the middle of the night, but the moon was high in the sky that was so blue it was almost black and the glow it cast, allowed me to see his soft eyes grow dark and take on a smoldering quality, that had my stomach swooping.

_**(We could sit on the shore**_

_**We could just be friends**_

_**Or we could jump in...) ("Want To" - Sugarland)**_

His hand reached out to encircle mine and it was as strong and warm as I remembered it to be. Gently he tugged on mine and instead of being pulled cleanly into his body, I ended up stumbling and collided in a very ungraceful way against his frame. I bowed my head against the solidness of his chest in shame and my cheeks were hotter than ever as the burned bright red in embarrassment, but he just chuckled lightly and tucked two fingers under my chin to raise my head.

I was staring into his eyes once more and to my surprise that smoldering edge was still there. His fingers swept upwards to brush my hair behind my ear and I shivered. The warmth of his fingers (though, I didn't know how) felt as if it was seeping through my skin and settling into my bones. Heat bloomed in the pit of my stomach and I wondered if he felt it too.

My voice sounded shaky and far away as I whispered, "Does the pit of your stomach feel warm?"

I felt foolish for asking, but I couldn't help myself. I had to know what he was feeling if we were really going to do this. I had been kissed before, but I had this feeling that I hadn't been kissed the way I was about to be.

His voice was low and timbered with the same shakiness I heard in mine as it skated across my nerve endings, "Yeah," He answered, bringing his lips just a little closer to mine. "It does."

The cinnamon warmth of his breath ghosted across my lips as he breathed and my eyes fluttered. Before they closed all the way, there was this moment that hung in the air, as both of us seemed to be waiting for some interruption that thankfully wasn't coming tonight and just as my eyelashes fell against the top of my cheeks, his lips covered mine and we were kissing.

_**(The whole world could change in a minute**_

_**Just one kiss could stop it spinning**_

_**We could think it through**_

_**But I don't want to, if you don't want to)**_

Everything that I wanted to happen was finally happening.

My lips were moving with his, I knew what he tasted like (a mix of _Juicy Fruit_ gum and a deeper cinnamon flavor, probably from his toothpaste) and I knew just how good his curls felt. As the kiss deepened, my hands slid over the expanse of his solid chest and wound themselves around his neck before one crept upward just a little, allowing my fingers to feel the curls at the base of his neck, and yes, they were better than I thought they would be.

His tongue lightly explored my mouth after it opened voluntarily underneath his and as badly as my head had been spinning before, it was even worse now.

Oxygen was a necessity but as my tongue hesitantly met his, I wished it wasn't. Pulling away, slowly, I didn't know how I could be, but my body was growing warmer. Amongst the haziness that had taken over my head, I could make out the way I imagined I would see Nate for as long as possible – no longer would I think of him as the "pouty boy" with his hands stuck in his pockets nor would he be the soaking wet camper.

No, he would always be the boy that was standing in front of me now. His heart-shaped lips were in a bruised state, his curls were sticking up in every direction and there was a flush to his neutral skin that indicated he had somehow exerted himself and was out of breath.

I didn't know what was supposed to happen now. All I knew was I didn't want things to go back to the way they were, but what about him? What did he want?

I was desperate to know, but before I could ask him both of us heard the sound of footsteps approaching. In a panic, he rushed back to his canoe and I quickly gathered my shoes and hoodie that were in the spot on the grass where I had been laying down. I squinted and momentarily covered my eyes as they became blinded by the sudden flash of light that was shone in their direction.

"Don't ask me why _I'm_ doing this for _you_," I heard Tess' exasperated tone as her tiny frame came into view. "But the counselors are doing bed checks, and you being the goody goody that you are, I'm sure you don't want to be caught sneaking around. Especially with the enemy. So if you know what's good for you, Turner, you'll get that My-Daddy-Owns-This-Camp-ass of yours back to bed. Cause um...yeah..I've been _way too_ _nice_ to you and I think I'm getting a rash because of it, and that's gross. So go on, shoo. Shoo."

Rolling my eyes at Tess' remarks, I couldn't help but turn back to the lake, but when I did, Nate and his canoe were already gone. My heart sunk just a little, but I didn't have time to worry about that. All I could do was rush back to my cabin before the counselors finished off their rounds with mine.

_**(We could keep things just the same**_

_**Leave here the way we came**_

_**With nothing to lose**_

_**But I don't want to, if you don't want to...) **_

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Nate's POV**_

Out of all my brothers, I was the early riser (something I picked up from our Mom), but as my eyes slowly opened and began to adjust to the just rising sun's rays that were coming into the cabin, I saw something strange. Something that was strange enough that you could equate it to a Bigfoot sighting or Santa Claus actually being real.

Shane was up _before_ seven o'clock in the morning.

It was a known fact (and not just by crazy fangirls everywhere) but anyone who had ever worked with us, Shane never woke up before seven unless we were doing a morning show live from the West Coast like Good Day LA or something. And yet, this morning, he seemed to be wide awake as he rushed around the cabin, already dressed for the day.

Blinking, I rubbed what was left of the sleep from my eyes and asked, "So how did your moonlight picnic go with Mitchie last night? I'm assuming it went well since you're up – oh about five hours before you usually are. You didn't just get back from her cabin or some late night canoe ride did you?"

I knew that wasn't the case because by the time I came back from Camp Star, he was already asleep, but since he barely noticed me leave the night before, I played along as if I had no idea the picnic had gone sideways.

He sighed heavily and raked his fingers through his hair, as he turned to face me. "Let's just say, I've had better ideas than a moonlight picnic, but nothing as bad as a water fight that totally ruined Mitchie's sheet music. So since the water fight was basically an epic fail, I've come up with a new way to loosen up the campers before the big performance _and_ I even fixed her sheet music."

"Wow." I said, surprise not just evident in my voice but on my face, I'm sure.

"I know right?" Shane said proudly as he popped the collar of his open button-up shirt. "I am well on my way to getting back my best boyfriend ever status. And yeah, little bro, you don't have to tell me, I already know I'm a genius."

Rolling my eyes, I mumbled dryly, as I climbed out of my bunk, "That's exactly what I was going to say. You took the words right out of my mouth, bro."

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

I knew Mitchie would be surprised when she saw everyone from camp with newly printed sheet music in their hands, Caitlyn leading dance rehearsals, Jason and I helping with the band, Peggy leading the vocals, Ella getting the wardrobe stuff together, and Shane holding court, but I wasn't really prepared for the genuine shock that colored her pretty features.

Her eyes were wide and her painted lips hung open just a little as she tried to take everything in.

I couldn't help but laugh just a little from behind my drum kit, but the laughter died quickly as I watched my brother's eyes light up as he rushed over to her after Caitlyn told her how he got all of this to happen. "Shane got everyone up before dawn," She revealed. "He can be pretty persuasive when he wants to be."

"Morning," He said. "Did you sleep well?"

After handing her a cup of coffee just the way she liked it, he also gave her the new arrangement of her song. "I don't know if you got the new arrangement yet, but it needed a lot of work."

She glanced down at the sheet music in her hand and once again, shock was painted across her pretty features as her big, dark eyes met my brother's brown eyes. "You did this?"

"We all did." He answered as choruses of "yeah," "yep," and "we did" broke out amongst the scattered campers.

"I already know I'm gonna love it." She proclaimed, her voice taking on its familiar warm tint. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Much like when they first saw each other after we had arrived at Camp, their eyes stayed locked on each other and it was only when I'm sure Shane realized everyone was staring _again_, that he broke the spell and hopped up on stage saying, "All right, let's get started!"

"We gotta rock this stage like we own it, right?"

The answer to his question came in the form of a Junior Rocker's drum solo, whose kit was stationed just behind mine. My lips quirked briefly as the reverberations from the skins of his drums died down. The kid wasn't bad, but if he really wanted to lay it down, I could teach him a few things.

"Now I can hear you, but I gotta see you play. Nate," He called out to me. "Show 'em how it's done!"

Like, I sad, the kid could learn a few things from me. "Like this!" I yelled before playing the opening of one of our old number ones _"Got Me Going Crazy."_

"Excellent." He murmured before turning to our brother and instructing, "Jason, show 'em how to rock!"

"Okay guys," He said amiably as he prepared to windmill. "Not like this..." The chord he struck on his guitar was a little weak and then he said, "Like this," just before he went into full-on power mode and the Junior Rockers behind him followed suit perfectly.

"Good job!" He praised happily, his usual goofy smile plastered across his face.

"Well, it's easy for you guys, but _we're _not all _rockstars_." Caitlyn teased.

"Well, _you_ can be." Shane told her forcefully before she bounded of the stage.

"_Heart and Soul" _- the song we began to play was a new number – much like _"Play My Music"_ had been the year before, but this was one we had worked on during the tour. We hadn't planned on playing it at camp, but it just sort of worked out that now would be the perfect time for us to debut the song.

Easily I got into the opening and pounded the skins and cymbals of my drums recklessly while Shane's familiar voice rang out over my rhythmic pounding and Jason's power strumming.

"_Oh...yeah...all right...Gather round guys...It's time to start listenin'...Practice makes perfect...But perfect's not workin'...There's a lot more to music...Than knowin' where your cue's gonna be..."_

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Dana's POV**_

A lot of things could go wrong with sneaking over to Camp Rock during the day – _a lot _of things, but it was too late to think about what could go wrong now. I was already on what Tess would call "enemy turf." Just thinking about the ground I was walking on like _that_ made me roll my eyes and laugh at how ridiculous it sounded – even if I was saying it in my head.

I thought I would have to do a lot more sneaking around when it came to looking for Nate and briefly (_very _briefly), I entertained the thought of having to ask someone where he might be. But even from the docks, I could hear the loud cheers and screams and where there were cheers and screams there was sure to be Connect Three.

I was correct in assuming the brothers Grey were performing and just like I had done when the Camp Rock vs. Camp Star: The Final Jam challenge had been issued, I snuck back behind the stage as I couldn't resist watching him perform. I wasn't some crazy fangirl, but I had to admit, my preferred way of watching Nate was when he was either behind his drum kit or sitting at his piano. But there was something different about watching him play the guitar.

Growing up around musicians I had heard the phrase "he plays that guitar like you would hold a woman" casually thrown about. I never really knew what my parents and their friends were talking about, until right now as I was watching Nate play. His fingers moved effortlessly across the frets and though I couldn't see his fingers move through my hair while we kissed, I imagined if I could, they would look just like that.

And then as the performance reached its crescendo...If_ you can scream like Axl Rose or sing like Christina show after show...If you've got heart and soul..You can rock and roll! If you've got heart and soul you can rock and roll..._It was hard for me not to notice the way he cradled the neck of his guitar in his hand. My cheeks flushed and butterflies erupted in my stomach as I wondered if he held my hand the same way or if that's how both of his arms had been wrapped around me – gentle but still firm.

Quickly, I rushed away from my hiding place and made my way back over to the cabins that were nearest to the lakes. I spotted a bench near one of the many bushes and I was about to sit down, when I noticed he was walking toward the same bench. His eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses and he appeared to be moving to the beat that was playing in his head as he jammed with imaginary drumsticks and while I wanted to already be sitting on the bench when he got there, I couldn't move – his imaginary jam session was too cute to disturb.

Once he sat down, I didn't want to waste anymore time, so I ran over to the bench and just as I put my hand on its back, I called out, "Hi, Nate!"

And that's when the bench began to topple and both of us shouted, "Oh!," in obvious surprise as he fell along with it.

"Oh! Oh! I'm so sorry!" I yelped as I bent to help him. "Are you okay?"

Together, we fixed the bench and he quickly took off his sunglasses as he said, "Hey, Dana. What are you doing here?"

Sitting down next to him, I tilted my head in a way that I hoped came off as flirty. Flicking my hair absently, I wished I could see my eyes to make sure they were twinkling like I wanted to as I remarked teasingly, "What do you think?"

His cheeks flushed a little and his words were spoken slowly and he phrased them as if he were asking a question – as in he didn't know why I was there. "You came to see me?"

But I didn't let either of those things phase me. I was happy just being near him and I hoped once we started talking he would relax and I would get to know him. Because after the few times we had been alone I had so many questions I wanted the answers to like how he was so confident on stage (I was _still_ fighting my stage fright), if he missed being a "normal" teenager, what it was like to go on tour, if his brothers drove him nuts...Anything and everything. I wanted to know it all.

Breathing in his familiar smell, I told him proudly, "Good guess."

And then he did something I didn't expect. He just held up his hands and said, "Here I am."

My mood couldn't help but deflate after his response. I could feel my brows furrow and I knew I was looking at him curiously. I took a deep breath (but not to breathe in his perfect smell) and I let out what was a mixture between a scoff and a chuckle. The strange mixture of sounds died quickly and unceremoniously as I shook my head while wondering if this was the same boy who had kissed me the night before.

I legitimately couldn't tell because I was _sure_ the boy who kissed me and told me the pit of his stomach felt warm just like mine, _couldn't_ be the one sitting in front of me now.

"That's it?" My question came out harsher than I intended, but that couldn't be helped – not with the way my stomach and heart were both sinking fast.

When he didn't say anything, I went into full-on rant mode, which couldn't be helped either. "I came all the way over here in a canoe, risking my father's wrath and that's _all_ you have to say to me? Even after last night? After we..." I somehow managed to lower my voice and though I didn't want to (which was strange), I moved closer to him and whispered, "Kissed?"

His brown eyes that had been smoldering the night before were back to their natural softness and the depths of them were drowning in confusion as he looked at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his hand at his side, flexing as if he wanted to touch me, but he did nothing and somehow my heart and my stomach sunk even further and faster.

Swallowing, I waited for him to say something, anything but he didn't say anything, really. After sighing heavily, he said, "I don't know what else to say."

"There's nothing you're _supposed_ to say." I told him, growing increasingly frustrated. "Everyday I see you looking and waving and I'm all – that's so sweet, I _so_ like him...And then we almost kissed once and after the whole challenge thing went down, you just reached out and hugged me, which was so nice and felt so good. Then last night, we _actually_ kissed and I had never felt anything like that before – I shivered from head to toe, I was warm all over – on the inside and outside..."

"Really?" He interrupted, his voice eager and his eyes sparkling somewhat. "That's what you say? That's how you feel? Felt, I mean, that's how you felt?"

I wanted nothing more than to be as eager as he was, but I couldn't. All I could think about was his lackluster greeting and how this wasn't turning out at all like I expected it to.

"But then..." I sighed heavily just as he mumbled to himself while cringing, "But then? That's never good..."

"How do I really know, if I don't know _anything_ about you? I guess I just thought you were different."

Inside I could feel my stomach tumbling while it somehow was twisting itself into knots at the same time and slowly, the familiar stinging of tears came to the forefront of my eyes. Blinking, I stood up and he stood up with me, insisting, "But _I am_ different."

"No, you're not." I told him, shaking my head. "You're _exactly_ like every other teenage boy in the world. Have you ever told me _anything_ about yourself? You know other than you like canoeing?"

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Nate's POV**_

I don't know why I was picking _right now_ to be honest with Dana about my feelings for canoeing, but I was.

Maybe it was the way her expressive eyes were glistening with the beginning of tears or how her bottom lip was quivering. Or maybe it was the way I noticed her lithe frame was shaking ever so lightly – like a leaf that was about to fall from a tree – and I tried to reach out for her hand, but she jerked back.

That reaction stung and I could feel my stomach plummet all the way to the soles of my shoes.

The feeling of my stomach plummeting like that should have told me now wasn't the time to be honest. What I should have done was tell her that hugging her felt equally as nice and as good for me and kissing her...Despite being a song writer, I couldn't find the _right_ words to describe what having her lips moving with mine and having the chance to explore her mouth felt like.

Honestly, I didn't think words had been invented yet that would adequately describe how I felt.

But instead of telling her all of that, I said, "Well, I don't really like canoeing."

Quickly, she swiped at her eyes before nodding solemnly. "Oh, good." She murmured, her voice dangerously even. "So I _really_ know nothing about you."

She looked at me pointedly and I knew she wanted me to say something, I just didn't know _what_. And instead of taking the chance with telling her what was swimming around in my head, I clammed up and once again, said nothing.

"I still don't know what I'm supposed to say."

_**(You might fall down on your face**_

_**Roll the dice and have some faith) ("As She's Walking Away" - Zac Brown Band feat. Alan Jackson)**_

Her lips were quivering again and the fans of her long eyelashes were beating rapidly like the wings of a humming bird as she tried to stem the tears that were glistening inside her expressive eyes, and I wanted nothing more than to reach out for her, to use my own hand to swipe away her impending tears, but I just stood there.

And clearly, that said it all.

Her body stiffened and her eyes were cold and for once, I wasn't warm in her presence.

"You know how you said, you don't know what you're supposed to say?" She asked, her voice missing the liveliness I had come to know and want to hear all the time. "Well, I think you said everything you _obviously _wanted to, didn't you?"

For a moment she stared at me and I could see it in the depths of her eyes, she was silently begging me to take this reprieve she was giving me. She wanted me to say anything that would keep her from walking away, but when I didn't do anything, she shook her head sadly and I could see a lone tear slowly sliding down the slope of her milky cheek and for whatever reason I couldn't get my hand to leave my side.

Without glancing in my direction again, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and turned on her heel and I was left standing alone at the bench. The only thing keeping me company was the fresh scent of her perfume that somehow still hung in the air and I couldn't stop myself from breathing it in – wanting to catch it, to commit it to memory before a summer's breeze swept it away.

After all, I couldn't say when I get the chance to have her scent fill my nose again.

_**(But don't be falling in love as she's walking away**_

_**When your heart won't tell your mind**_

_**To tell your mouth what it should say**_

_**May have lost this battle**_

_**Live to fight another day**_

_**But don't be falling in love as she's walking away)**_

I stared longingly at the spot she had been occupying moments before as if the simple act of staring, would somehow bring her back so I could tell her everything I should have. But it was too late now. Sighing heavily, I cursed under my breath, "Dammit," and slammed my fist against the back of the bench.

I repeated the same action twice more as my mind drifted back to what it had been like the night before when I had felt the softness of her lips, explored the mintiness of her mouth, felt all of her pressed against me and had my fingers tangled in the silky strands of her chocolate hair.

_Perfect_, I realized. That's what kissing her had been like – it was perfect. Not that it mattered much now. It's not like I was going to get the chance to tell her that.

_Because you couldn't have said that earlier, smart guy? _

Ignoring the voice in my head I picked up my sunglasses and stomped away from the bench, feeling like an even bigger idiot than I had all the times before this.

_You **really** screwed up this time, Grey. The question is what are you going to do to fix it? You can't just let her walk away._

_**(You might fall down on your face**_

_**Roll the dice and have some faith)**_

_**(Don't be falling in love as she's walking away**_

_**When your heart won't tell your mind **_

_**To tell your mouth what it should say**_

_**May have lost this battle**_

_**Live to fight another day**_

_**Don't be falling**_

_**Falling in**_

_**Falling in love as she's walking away)**_

**Songs Used in this chapter: "Want To" by Sugarland lyrics by Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush and Bobby Pinson and "As She's Walking Away" by Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson lyrics by Zac Brown and Wyatt Durette.**

_End Note: Oh. Em. Gee. We've finally reached it – the pinnacle of adorableness. As hot as Nick was during the performance of "Heart and Soul" and let's face it all that instrument switching, power sliding and back flipping was pretty hot – nothing compares to how adorable he is when he sings "Introducing Me" to Dana._

_The only thing that **might** come close is when he sings "Your Biggest Fan" to Macy on JONAS L.A. in front of everyone, but I would still say "Introducing Me" has the edge in the adorable department._

_This chapter may take a while because I might need to be revived every once in a while as I watch the scene play out to you know gauge Dana's reaction to the adorableness that's playing out before her. It's not because I'm watching it over and over and indulging in my own personal swoonfest. Seriously! It's not!_

_Okay, maybe it is...But can you blame me? No, you can't. Not to mention, I need a good swoonfest because I'm about to cry my face off on Tuesday after this week's episode of Glee airs._


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Oh. Em. Gee! Insert the fangirl screaming here. After seven chapters, we've finally reached it, the pinnacle of adorableness that is Nate singing "Introducing Me" to Dana._

_So the whole song (tear) won't be used because Nate is actually performing the song and matching Dana's thoughts to every lyric would just draw this chapter out and her POV would take over, and I wanted to include his thoughts as he's singing to her._

_Good news, though, the whole performance scene is on youtube and you can see it again this Sunday on Disney when they premiere the Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, What's What edition. So I guess you all know how I'm spending my Sunday or at least part of it, don't you?_

_**Dana's POV**_

My legs were heavy and my eyes were still slightly misty as I made my way back across the lake. I definitely didn't expect things to go so badly with Nate. I thought there was a chance – if we could sneak away behind the many bushes that lined the area near the bench – that we might kiss again. I never expected to walk away from him feeling hurt and confused.

I could feel my lips quivering as I remembered standing in front of him – silently begging him with my eyes to say something, _anything_ – that would get me to stay just a moment longer. Couldn't he tell that I didn't really want to walk away? That all I wanted to do was stay right where I was for as long as I could?

Swiping at my eyes, I my throat was getting thick and somehow tight a the same time as I struggled not to cry. But I was determined not to let the tears, that were clouding my eyes, fall. Why cry over someone who so clearly didn't want to waste their time with me?

My hand shook as I touched the cool metal of the doorknob to the cabin I shared with Tess and just as I was about to pull the door open, it swung open on its own and the tiny blonde's small hand, shot out and dragged me through the door.

"You have to tell me _everything_." She demanded, oceanic eyes sparkling brightly as she was practically salivating at the gossip not even Perez himself could bring her. "Did you kiss again? Did Nate tell you, you looked beautiful even though you're wearing that hideous mauve hoodie that I _repeatedly_ told you, washes out your skin? What did he say when you showed up? Don't just stand there, Turner! Start talking! I _need_ this! No one else around here is doing anything that's _remotely close_ to hooking up with the nephew of their Daddy's worst enemy! Plus, my blackberry is down and I can't get on E! Or oceanup or Perez!"

"There's nothing to tell." I told her morosely as I shrugged absently.

Her almond shaped eyes went wide before they began blinking repeatedly, the fibers of her lengthy lashes taking on the rapid beating of a humming bird's wings. Her pouty mouth was also slightly a jar, which added to the stunned expression on her pretty face. But the expression and the blinking didn't last long. Slowly, her features returned to their usual scowl and her ocean eyes reigned with skepticism.

Arching a perfectly plucked brow, she folded her arms across her chest and her pouty mouth formed a thin line. "There's nothing to tell?" She repeated my words, but they were phrased as a question.

Scoffing, she asked, "You don't really expect me to believe that, do you? There's _always _something to tell whenever a boy's involved – especially one as hot as Nate."

"Haven't you heard? There's an exception to every rule." I remarked, my voice taking on a harsh quality.

I may have lost out on starting anything with Nate (if what just happened was any indication), but that didn't mean I wanted to hear Tess going on about how hot he was. She obviously picked up on my tone because her ocean eyes were gleaming and her pouty mouth had formed a smirk across the glittering tint the swipe of nude lipgloss gave it.

"Ooooh." She teased. "Kitty's got claws. _Now_ you really don't expect me to believe you have _nothing_ to tell, do you? After you just got all territorial because I called Nate hot, something definitely happened. So spill. Did a Rocker catch you like hardcore making out or something? Oh my God!" She shrieked all of the sudden, making me jump. "Was it one of his brothers that caught you? Or was it Mitchie? Did she run and tell Brown? Because that's _so_ something she would do. If she did catch you and your pissed, I'll totally help you plot revenge. You already know I'm down for that. I still haven't..."

"Tess!" I shouted, effectively stopping her out of control rambling. "No one caught Nate and I doing anything. Things just turned out like I didn't expect them to, that's all. Now if you don't mind, I really don't want to talk about it. I just want to change before rehearsal later. And speaking of changing, don't you have some like fabulous outfit or whatever to put on?"

Her perfectly plucked brows furrowed together briefly and her ocean eyes shown with circumspection as they narrowed at me. It was easy to see the wheels turning in her head as she was trying to figure out what happened between me and Nate, but with a quick glance at the clock on the far wall of the cabin, she realized she didn't have time to badger me.

Flipping her luscious cornflower hair over her shoulder, she remarked, "Saved by the clock, Turner. But don't think I'm not going to find out what happened between you and Nate. You'll tell me eventually. Or someone else. I mean you look like someone kicked your puppy. And I _so_ won't be the only person today who notices that, you know."

~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~

_**Nate's POV**_

Looking out the back window of the cabin I shared with Shane, all I could think about was how I could make things right with Dana. There had to be _something_ I could do. Sighing, I turned away from the tranquil view I had of the lake and shut my eyes tightly. Behind my eyelids, I could see her expressive chocolate eyes welling up with the faintest of tears, her peach lips trembling and then she shook her head sadly before finally walking away and leaving me standing stupidly at the bench instead of going after her.

Groaning in frustration, I opened my eyes and with the back of my foot, I kicked the wall of the cabin. Shaking my head, I roughly raked my fingers through my curls and as my appendages repeated a motion they had done probably (by now) at least a million times, my mind drifted back to the night before when Dana and I had kissed on the other side of the lake.

As I remembered the way the mintiness of her breath tickled my lips and how good it felt to have her slender fingers sinking into the thickness of my hair, I could feel my stomach twist up in knots and my heart pound rapidly. With the way things turned out on the bench, there was a chance I'd never get to feel her breath tickle my lips or have her finger sinking into my hair again and that was the last thing I wanted.

Turning back to the window, I put my elbows on the sill and clasped my hands together as I sighed pensively. I needed the wheels in my head to start turning and fast. I knew I couldn't make it through the rest of the summer without seeing her again. Logically, it was probably too soon for such sweeping declarations but I knew it was true.

Shane had come to camp to get to know Mitchie and Jason and I were just supposed to be along for the ride until the night of the bonfire at Camp Star when I met her. And now? Now, I couldn't just give up and let the image of her walking away from me be the last time I ever saw her. I just couldn't.

Letting out another pensive sigh, the sound of sneakers sliding against the wood floor of the cabin didn't alert me like it normally would. I didn't even notice Shane had come to stand beside me until he said, "I take back what I said about girlfriends."

It was hard not to let his comment hit me like a punch in the gut. Obviously things were working out for him and Mitchie. Too bad I couldn't say the same for myself and Dana.

I knew I probably should have asked how things turned around so quickly since I knew that's what he wanted me to do. His overly chipper tone (ugh) told me so. But instead, I decided to go with the old cliché that misery loves company. His good mood was ruining my brooding, anyway.

"It's all good because at this rate, I'll never have one." I remarked, hoping he would take the hint and go elsewhere. Though I doubted that was _actually_ going to happen.

"What do you mean?" He asked, brows furrowing together.

If I told him I didn't want to talk about it or I wanted to be left alone, he would just pester me until I finally gave in so instead I saved both of us the trouble and just told him what was going on. I was sure my patience would thank me later.

"Well, there's this girl..." I started and as usual, he interrupted as he scoffed slightly. "Yeah, I kind of figured. We talked about this after Brown had you in his office the other day. She's the Camp Star girl – you know whose bracelet hit you in the eye."

Rolling my eyes, I didn't acknowledge his recap of the events that lead me to meeting Dana, I just continued my previous thought as if he hadn't interrupted me. "I _really_ like her, but I'm having a hard time telling her how I feel."

I didn't know when Jason had walked into the cabin, but suddenly he was leaning over the window sill and with his dark eyes sparkling told me simply, "You're a _rockstar_, dude, use it."

Shaking my head sharply, I countered his argument by saying, "I don't think she cares."

I paused for a moment as I thought back to what Dana had said while we were standing by the bench – _How do I really know if I don't know anything about you? _

Sighing heavily, I remarked caustically (probably because of how stupid I had been), "She just wants to know all of this _stupid, random_ stuff about me."

"It's not random stuff." Shane replied with a knowing air. "She just wants to know you care enough to let her know who you are."

There were a lot of things I didn't like; the way Shane _only_ ate yogurt with fruit at the bottom, how Jason left his shoes in the middle of the floor on the bus, sharing my guitars with either one of them, the Boston Red Sox, not having _at least_ one full case of Diet Coke on the bus refrigerator, my phone not being charged, but you know what I _really_ didn't like? When my brothers – either one, really – made sense. Like Shane was doing right now.

Which is why the tone of my voice was harsher than it probably should have been, when I said, "Well, I _care_. I just don't know how to say it."

"Well, if you can't _say it_, you can _sing it_." Jason reminded me and it was hard not to glare at him.

Did I mention I _really_ didn't like it when they made sense?

But I had to admit, not that I would out loud (if I did, I'd _never_ hear the end of it from either of them), they both made excellent points. Slowly, I could feel the wheels in my head beginning to turn and my lips curved upward ever so slightly as the proverbial light bulb went off. I knew _exactly_ how I was going to make things right with Dana.

~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~

_**Dana's POV**_

Rehearsals always left me on edge, but during this rehearsal I was edgy for a completely different reason.

Tess had been right when she said she wasn't the _only_ person who would notice that I looked like someone whose puppy had been kicked.

As soon as I walked out to the amphitheater, the dancers, singers and other performers had all commented on how I seemed down and were constantly asking me if I was okay. If another person asked me, I was sure I would lose it completely and have a melt down that would let them all know that I _was_ in fact, Axel Turner's daughter.

Going over the sheet music, I had placed in front of me, I put my hands down over the paper as if I was playing the notes on my piano. My fingers mimicked the movements perfectly and I bobbed my head along with the melody that was playing inside it as I hummed the song we were practicing, _"Tear It Down_._"_

I was so lost in my head, that not even the sound of Tess and Luke's constant bickering, _really_ registered with me. Well, at least it didn't until I heard my Dad's aggravated voice ring out loudly, "_Enough!_ We'll run it again in three minutes and this time, remember, it's _not_ amateur hour!"

I uncrossed my legs and straddled the portion of the bleachers I was occupying as I began to gather my sheet music so I could meet everyone on stage. I shook my head as I watched Tess and Luke follow my Dad and his assistant while continuing to bicker. Just as I had my music straightened out and in my hands, my ears were suddenly filled with the sound of a voice I never expected to hear again. "Hi, Dana."

I let out what was a mixture between a soft scream and a gasp and jumped a little. Turning around, I found myself staring into the soft, pretty brown eyes of Nate Grey. All I could do was stare as his lips quirked briefly while he teased me slightly, "It kinda makes you jump, doesn't it?"

The hurt and confusion I had experienced from earlier was gone and in its place was a mixture of anger and indignation. I couldn't believe, after everything that happened (or more accurately speaking _didn't_ happen), that he would show up here out of the blue and think I'd want to see him. But even though, I was mad, him being near me still had my heart skipping beats and my stomach filling up with butterflies.

Mad at my body's betrayal, I made sure he knew I wasn't fond of him being here. Glaring at him, I hissed, "You _shouldn't _be here."

"I know," He agreed as he moved to sit on the right side of my body while adjusting the guitar in his arms. "But I couldn't wait."

I knew I should just walk away and leave him sitting there, but I couldn't bring myself to. Not even with as disappointed as I had been about the way things turned out when I went to see him at Camp Rock. There was something – I wasn't sure what, exactly – but there was something in the depths of those pretty, soft brown eyes of his that told me, I should at least give him a chance to say whatever he had to say.

Of course that didn't mean I had to make things easy for him. I sighed exasperatedly and asked in a tone of voice that still sounded irked, "Wait for what?"

Reaching into the pocket of his plaid shirt, he pulled out a folded up piece of paper and said, "It's a list of things that nobody knows about me," as he handed it to me.

Curiously, I unfolded the paper and in (of course) perfect handwriting was a long list of things that I briefly scanned over just as my Dad's assistant's voice came through his bull horn, "Two minutes!" Quickly, I folded the paper back up and told him in a rush, "I really gotta go. I'm sorry," as I stood up and pushed the list back into the pocket of his shirt.

He stood up along with me and told me, "We still have two minutes."

Blaming the look in his eyes would be too easy. Just like blaming his perfect clean, soapy smell would.

But as I bit my lip, I knew I wasn't _really_ going anywhere even though I told him I had to and I was sorry. How could I? Sure, I was disappointed about how things turned out at Camp Rock and I was still a little hurt and confused, maybe even mad, but I didn't want him to leave. He had something he wanted to say and I wasn't going to miss the opportunity I had at hearing it.

"Okay," I murmured feigning indifference as we both sat back down on the bleacher.

Without a word, he started strumming his guitar and my back couldn't help but go stiff.

There was always a chance he could be serenading me with some Connect Three song that I had heard on the radio at least a million times by now. But instead of playing the opening of a song I recognized like - _"Love Bug" _or _"Fall"_ or _"Rose Garden"_ - the melody he was strumming wasn't one I could place, which made me feel a little bit better about his impromptu serenade.

As he began to sing..._**I'm good at wasting time**__...__**I think lyrics need to rhyme**__..._I could see him trying to gauge my reaction and I tried hard to keep my expression neutral. It was even harder when the next words to his song fell beautifully in the raspy tone of his singing voice, from his heart-shaped lips..._**And you're not asking**__...__**But I'm trying to grow a mustache**__..._

Laughter bubbled up inside of me, but I held it back and I could only hope he wasn't serious about growing a mustache. Though, I sincerely doubted facial hair – even potentially weird facial hair – could make the boy in front of me look bad.

_**And I, I really like it...When the moon looks like a toenail...And I love it when you say my name...**_

I laughed briefly at his preferred description of the moon and a little gasp escaped when he told me he loved it when I said his name. My heart was beating just a little bit faster and the butterflies inside my stomach were really fluttering while I could feel a tingle race up the back of my spine.

He continued singing and that's when both of us heard my Dad's assistant yell out, "Places everybody! Come on!"

I really didn't want to leave, but I knew I couldn't be late. Not when we were rehearsing for the Camp Rock vs. Camp Star challenge thing. I gave him my best apologetic look and shook my head as I stood up to leave. He stood up with me, indicating that he would follow me, and as he sang..._**If we're close gonna let you see**__...__**Everything**__...__**But remember that you asked for it**__..._I gave him a little smirk and sat back down, feeling a little foolish for even considering the possibility of leaving.

We did have two minutes, after all.

~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~

_**Nate's POV**_

Nerves weren't something I had ever dealt with. I came from a family of performers, after all.

But this wasn't a group of a hundred plus cheering campers, or thousands of screaming girls, this was _Dana_ and that was something else entirely.

I was nervous standing in front of her and singing this song, I had written on a whim, but the nerves were slowly dissipating as I gauged her reaction to the words. I could tell when I first started strumming (her back had gone stiff) that she wasn't sure if I was going to break out into one of Connect Three's love songs or a cover of another band's song, but when she heard the first lines of the song, I could see her fighting back a smile, and I was instantly flooded with relief.

I heard her laugh a little and I could feel my lips break into one of my rare smiles and when she smiled back as her eyes sparkled like they had before, my stomach fluttered ever so slightly.

_**For your perusing**...**At times confusing**...**Slightly amusing**...**Introducing me**..._I sang and I stopped strumming for a moment to hold out my arms and just as I was about to start again, the guy with the bull horn was barking out orders to the Camp Star campers again.

His voice was slightly muffled, but what he said didn't matter, I wasn't going anywhere until Dana heard the rest of my song and we got this thing between us sorted out. I could see her eyes go wide and panic spread across her beautiful features as she rushed to stand up, giving me another apologetic look as she started walking away.

I knew she was surprised by the fact that I followed her and continued singing, but this time I wasn't letting her walk away like I had earlier. She wanted to know that I cared enough about her to let her know all this stuff about me, and I planned on showing her I did.

I managed to maneuver myself in front of her, which slowed the fast pace of her scurry down to a stroll and as the list of things she didn't know about me grew, so did her smile and mine.

I felt that familiar warmth blooming deep in the pit of my stomach as soft giggles fell from the peach of her lips while I continued singing and strumming and I reveled in the feeling because it wasn't _that_ long ago that I thought I'd never have the chance to experience it again.

_**And I, I've never been into cars**...**I like really cool guitars and super heroes**...**And checks with lots of zeroes on them**...**I love the sound of violins and making someone smile**..._

The fluttering of my stomach only grew worse as she tilted her head to the side in that cute, curious way as I told her about liking checks with lots of zeroes and I could feel myself grow warmer while she peered up at me through hooded eyes when I mentioned loving to make "someone" smile. I hoped she could tell when I said someone, I meant _her_.

She sat back down and I wished she had stayed standing up because it was easier to smell the fresh scent of her perfume that way, but I came to the conclusion as I stared down at her (since I was still standing) that it didn't really matter. The way her chocolate hair shimmered and how the matching shade of her expressive eyes sparkled brightly along the with her milky cheeks flushing prettily, all made up for not being able to smell her scent so easily.

However, the need to be close to her was so overwhelming that I could no longer stand and _had_ to sit next to her as I continued singing..._**Well, you probably know more than you ever wanted to**__...__**So be careful when you ask next time**__..._

Her expressive features were soft and reminded me of how they looked when we kissed the last time I had snuck over. My heart was pounding against my ribcage and I leaned in just a little to catch that elusive freshness of her perfume and I pulled back just as we both heard the sound of her Dad calling out her name, "Dana!," which made her get up again.

And just like last time, I followed her and kept singing. Her hair fell down her back in time with the swaying of her hips (something I couldn't help but notice) as we walked side by side down the hill and I made sure to speed up my strumming and singing to maximize what time we had left.

_**I'm trying to do my best, to impress**...**But it's easier to let you**...**Take a guess at the rest**...**But you wanna hear what lives in my brain, my heart**...**Well, you asked for it**..._

As the song came to an end, her head bobbed along with the melody..._**Do-do-do-do-do-do**__...__**Do-do-do-do-do-do**__...__**Introducing me**__..._and she looked good enough to kiss right then and there.

But I didn't have time to figure out just how to accomplish kissing her because just over her head, I could see her Dad's imposing figure standing behind her and I swallowed thickly.

"Dana," He sighed as he shook his head while she turned over her shoulder to look at him. "Everyone is waiting for you."

"Sorry," I spoke up, not wanting her to get in trouble – or _too _much trouble. "It's my fault."

"Why don't _you_ save the theatrics for the competition?" Axel spat through gritted teeth, which made a little bit of anger flare inside of me, but Dana graciously leapt in as she stressed, "It's okay," before turning back to face me.

Her features were once again apologetic and I could feel the mintiness of her breath tickling my skin as she murmured, "Go," and instantly, heat flooded my body as I felt her slender fingers brush over the part of my chest where my heart was when she reached into the pocket of my shirt for the list I made. Her expressive eyes sparkled with a gleam I didn't recognize while she let her fingers linger over my now rapidly (which I'm sure she could feel) beating heart before finally pulling out the folded up piece of paper.

Before she turned away, she brought the tips of her fingers to her lips and blew me a kiss.

Vaguely, I heard Axel tell her they would talk later or something to that effect, but I was too busy following the entrancing swaying of her hips as she walked to know what he _actually_ said. I stayed rooted in my spot, watching her walk until she disappeared behind the trees and hedges that lead to the backstage area of the amphitheater, and I could feel my chest swell with pride.

Though, verbal confirmation that we were back on track would have been nice, the kiss she blew me and having her smile at me, was enough to know that things were back to the way they had been before I nearly messed everything up.

I knew it was lame, but I couldn't help pumping my fist in victory before I took off so I could go back across the lake to Camp Rock.

_End Note: I thought about ending this with Dana's POV but I kind of like leaving it where the movie left it – you know – Nate being all cute and doing his little fist pump before running off. However, if you want to know what the ending scene would be like with Dana's POV, just let me know and I'll pm you the scene._

_Up next, Nate and Dana are going to sneak off before the competition and then they join their respective camps for Camp Wars. _

_Thanks again for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it._


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: I'd go on a re-writing rant, but since you guys are writers (at least I think some of you are) you know re-writing's a bitch so I won't. _

_ANYWAY...Let's pretend that before Jason and the Junior Rockers (one of my favorite scenes from the movie) sneak over to Camp Star, Tess and Luke decide to spy on Camp Rock again. And while we're pretending, let's pretend that Tess going soft over catching fireflies when they spied along with Axel, never happened, okay? Okay._

_Song recommendation for this chapter: "Untouchable" by my personal Jesus, Taylor Swift. If Nate and Dana had a theme song, this would be it in my humble opinion._

_**Dana's POV**_

"Wake up! Wake up! Dammit, Turner, wake the hell up!"

From a distance, as if she were at one end of a tunnel and I was at the other, I could hear Tess' voice hissing at me to wake up. I wasn't sure why and I really didn't want to know. The only reason she was probably up is because my Dad was sending her and Luke on some spy mission across the lake since _Camp Wars_ was only two days away.

And a spy mission to Camp Rock, definitely wasn't something _I _wanted to be a part of so I ignored her insistence to wake up.

Groaning sleepily, I swatted my hand in what I assumed was her general direction before attempting to roll over onto my side so I could continue sleeping, and I say _attempting_ because I could feel her on top of me, and was unable to move. "Tess.." I mumbled absently as I tried to get her to move by kicking my legs.

"Ow! You bitch!" She yelped after one of my feet harshly made contact with one of her legs. "You know what? If you're going to be _this _way, sleep through your last chance to see your Camp Rock Romeo before _Camp Wars_, for all I care! Just so you know, this is the _last_ time I ever try to do anything nice for you."

The last part of her sentence was muttered darkly and shadowed by the sound of my sheets rustling as she climbed off of me in a rush. Slowly, I fought the natural urges of my body that told me I should still be sleeping, and sat up in my bed. My newly opened eyes blinked repeatedly as they tried to adjust to the darkness and while I let out a heavy yawn, I could make out Tess' tiny figure storming out of our cabin and I winced when I heard the door slam.

Sighing heavily, I shook my head as I climbed out of bed, wondering why she had to be such a drama queen before I made my way outside.

I shivered slightly as the bare skin of my arms made contact with the cool night air. Rubbing them absently, I moved closer to Tess who held up her hand and shook her head sharply. "Don't even think about it. If you want to go see your precious Nate, you'll have to figure out how to do it on your own."

"Tess..."

"I said don't!" She screeched before she slipped her small hand into the pocket of her skinny jeans and pulled out a compact. After fluffing her bangs, she added another coat of lipgloss to her pout and slammed her compact shut. Her eyes narrowed darkly and with an air of disdain said, "You're still here."

_**Now** who's being a bitch_, I thought but left the remark unsaid, knowing it was better that way.

"Is there a reason you're still here? Because Luke's going to be here in about five minutes and he knows there's no way you're coming with us on our little spying expedition. It's _so_ not your style."

"I'm..." I started to apologize, but stopped myself when I realized I didn't have _anything_ to apologize for. It's not like I had kicked her on _purpose_. I just wanted her to get off of me so I could go back to sleep. Not to mention, I didn't know she was planning on helping me sneak over to Camp Rock to see Nate before the competition. How was I supposed to know if she didn't tell me?

Biting the inside of my cheek, I rolled my eyes as I regrouped and prepared to apologize, even though I technically wasn't apologizing for anything. Clearing my throat, I said softly, as I moved just a little closer to the tiny blonde, "I'm sorry for kicking you earlier. Are you okay?"

Skepticism reigned in her ocean eyes and her pouty lips were pursed into a thin line. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing. I _know_ exactly what you're doing. You're apologizing because you think that's what I want you to do and if you apologize, I'll tell you how I was going to help you sneak over to see your boyfriend."

I couldn't deny that she was right, but the way she explained what I was doing made it sound so..._bad_.

Blinking for a moment, I breathed in the fresh air from the pine trees that surrounded our cabin and then let out the same breath. "You're not wrong," I told her. "But you're not _exactly_ right either. We both know you _want_ me to apologize, but that's not the whole reason, I'm apologizing. I am sorry for kicking you. Really, I am. But instead of sitting on me and insisting I wake up in the middle of the night, you could have just told me you planned to help me sneak over to Camp Rock tonight."

Her mouth opened in an attempt to protest my point, but quickly she closed it when she knew she couldn't.

"Why the hell is being nice so _fucking_ hard?" She grumbled, her eyes drifting upward for a moment.

Her eyes then drifted to the sparkling, thin strapped watch on her wrist before looking back at me. "Okay, first of all, I am _not_ pulling an Ari from _Entourage_ so don't expect me to say let's hug it out. That is _so not_ happening. We're cool. Trust me. Second of all, _just_ do what I say. I _know_ how to get you over to Camp Rock, which means no back talk or I'll totally run to your Daddy first thing tomorrow. Or I'll make an announcement to the _entire_ camp that you've been sneaking off and planning secret make out sessions or whatever with the enemy. And don't think I won't. I'm a bitch, okay? It's what I do."

All I could do was nod, her voice was a deadly kind of serious and shadowed in a tone that made her statement an undisputed fact. Quickly, she grabbed my wrist and harshly ushered me back into our cabin.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Nate's POV**_

_Hey Jude, don't make it bad...Take a sad song and make it better...Remember to let her into your heart...Then you can start to make it better..._

"Huh?" I mumbled as the familiar words to my favorite Beatles' song _"Hey Jude"_ interrupted my slumber.

Absently, I fumbled for the extra pillow I had brought from my bunk in the bus and haphazardly placed it over my head to drown out the sound of Paul's voice and George's guitar. My eyes were slowly closing again and just as I felt my eyelashes rest against the tops of my cheeks, the volume of the song seemed to increase. Confusion, no doubt brought on by the fact that I was still half asleep, fogged over my brain as the song got louder and louder while the seconds (minutes?) ticked by.

I groaned in frustration when I realized I forgot to turn off my phone before I went to sleep.

Stretching my arms above my head, I lazily climbed down the ladder of the bunks and ambled toward the desk where my phone was laying. The light that was emanating from the device was a shock to my half-closed eyes and I had to squint to see the number that was flashing on the screen.

Suddenly, as if Uncle Brown had doused his trusty bucket of water (the one he reserved _only_ for Shane) on me, I was wide awake.

The number that was flashing on the screen was Tess Tyler's.

I could feel my brows furrowing as I debated on whether to hit the green connect button that was displayed on the screen of my phone. It would be a fairly severe _stretch_ to call myself and the pretty but frigid blonde _acquaintances_ despite our various connections to the same people (her Mom is _TJ Tyler_ after all), but that didn't mean I was above giving her my phone number. She had, after all, saved me from abject boredom at quite a few parties back in L.A.

Of course the whole reason I was hesitating to answer my phone was because she had been one of the few campers who had defected across the lake to Camp Star. For a moment, I felt as paranoid about her as Brown did about Axel. Shaking off the feeling, I pressed the connect button and winced as her screeching voice filled my ear.

"Finally!" She shrieked shrilly. "God, I thought I was going to have to keep calling you and calling you like some fucking stalker fangirl freak!"

"Hey, Tess." I grumbled, rolling my eyes. "Thanks for the wake up call."

"Don't get cute with me, Grey. Just listen up. Axel sent Luke and I on another spy mission across the lake tonight and for whatever reason, I decided to give you one last chance to see your girlfriend before _Camp Wars_. All you need to know is Dana's hiding out behind the mess hall."

My eyes went wide as Tess' words sunk in..._Dana's hiding out behind the mess hall_. What? I didn't realizing I said that out loud until Tess' stressed out hiss filled my ears. "_What _are you? Deaf? I told you, you're little girlfriend is hiding out behind the mess hall. Do you have to be _wide awake_ for your brain to be _firing_ on all cylinders or something? Ugh! Look, I don't have time to explain something so simple to you, okay? Just get your ass over to the mess hall now!"

Before I could utter even a syllable, all that was ringing in my ear was my phone's dial tone and for a moment, all I did was stare at the blank screen of my phone while blinking repeatedly.

Then as Tess' words filled my ears again – _Dana's hiding out behind the mess hall_ – I nearly dropped my phone as I rushed over to my open suitcases near the bedside table on my side of the cabin. As quickly as I could, I changed out of my pajamas and found a pair of sneakers laying by the door, which I put on before I grabbed the flashlight on the desk and left the cabin.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Dana's POV**_

Hiding out behind the mess hall was _seriously_ stressing me out.

All I could think about was Nate's Uncle Brown might be wandering around or some of the counselor's could be doing bed checks and find me crouching in the bushes. Of course there was always the chance that another camper could spot me or one of Nate's brothers. And then there was the fact that Luke was lurking around somewhere.

Sure, he was with Tess but if they made their way over here, she would sell me out in a hot minute. Biting down on my lip, I nibbled nervously on the skin and let out a distressed sigh.

"Nate," I mumbled, my voice sounding frantic to my own ears. "Where are you?"

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my racing heart, but it only seemed to pick up speed as I heard the rustling of grass from behind me.

I closed my eyes, tightly, before taking the risk and turning around, slowly. I didn't realize my eyes were still closed until I heard the low, throaty sound of a chuckle that was becoming increasingly familiar to me. Goosebumps erupted across my skin and my stomach filled with a million butterflies while my eyes began to open and when I met his pretty brown eyes, I could feel my lips curving upwards.

"Hey." I murmured as he closed the foot or so of distance between us.

"Hey." He murmured back.

My cheeks heated up as I inhaled his perfect smell and I nervously shifted on my feet as I peered up at him from behind my eyelashes. "For a little bit, I was afraid you wouldn't believe Tess when she called you and then I was worried someone would catch me hiding out back here before you showed up, if you even did."

He nodded as he reached for my hand. Sparks raced up my arm as I felt his fingers lace themselves with mine and the heat in my cheeks only burned hotter. "For a second, I channeled my Uncle Brown's paranoia because Tess' number came on my phone's screen. We're not close or anything – she's just kept me from slitting my wrists at some of the same parties we've been at back home. But when she told me you were hiding out behind the mess hall, I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't come see for myself. And here you are."

"Here I am." My voice shadowed by bubbling giggles. When my giggles faded away, I couldn't help but ask, "So you would have been here anyway? Even though you didn't know for sure that I was here?"

"I would have been here anyway." The certainty in his voice had my body being taken over by an intense shiver. "Seeing you isn't exactly easy, but I'll take the chance every time I can."

I always thought the girls in books and the movies were always exaggerating when they said a boy would make them _melt_, but after Nate said what he did, I finally knew what they were talking about. I knew it was possible for a boy to make me melt, and the feeling only spurred me to move closer to him. I felt that intense shiver from before when the length of my body brushed against the length of his and I dropped my face in the crook of his neck, placing a soft kiss against his skin.

"Dana..." My name fell from his heart-shaped lips in some kind of half-groan, half-whisper and in that moment, I wanted to do whatever I had to, to make him say my name like _that_ again.

_**(It's half full and I won't wait here all day**_

_**I know you're saying that you'll be here anyway**_

_**But you're untouchable**_

_**Burning brighter than the sun **_

_**Now that you're close I feel like coming undone) ("Untouchable" - Taylor Swift)**_

My head was swirling as I felt his arm wind around my back and pull me closer.

The softness of my body melted into the hardness of his and I was suddenly warm all over as I saw him leaning in closer. It seemed like he was going to kiss me, but instead his head drifted away from my lips and I could feel the cinnamon of his breath lightly tickling the skin just below my ear. I felt unsteady and I slowly slid my hands up his chest, stopping for a moment to revel in the firm and solid strength I could feel beneath the fabric of his shirt and then my hands formed to the curves of his strong shoulders.

I felt a rush of what I could only describe as pleasure hit me hard in my stomach once his mouth descended to my skin. I closed my eyes and my breath hitched as I felt him shiver against me. I don't know how, but his breathing was easy and as each slow puff warmed my skin, I got increasingly unsteady on my feet. I wasn't quite sure what I was feeling as we stood there; pressed body to body and mouths on each others necks.

I had never experienced _anything_ like this before and all I could do was moan his name against his skin, "Nate," and hope that he knew I never wanted to move away and for him to ever stop breathing against the skin of my neck.

_**(In the middle of the night**_

_**When I'm in this dream**_

_**It's like a million little stars**_

_**Spelling out your name**_

_**You gotta come on, come on**_

_**Say that we'll be together**_

_**Come on, come on)**_

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Nate's POV**_

As I stood there with one of my arms wound around Dana's back, my mouth against the alluring curve of her neck and her soft body pressed into mine, I thought there was no way I could be _any_ warmer than I already _was_. Then my name – with several extra syllables added – passed the plump peach petals of her lips in a moan and I felt like I did the of our almost kiss on the docks. In an instant, my entire body was hot and my blood was rapidly pumping through my veins.

My stomach clenched tightly as I replayed the sound of her voice in my head over and over. My head spun wildly from being able to smell the freshness of her perfume and I briefly nuzzled my nose against the silkiness of her neck, before pulling back slightly.

I reached up with my hand that wasn't pressed into the small of her back and I shuddered as she looked at me from behind the dark fans of her eyelashes. I could see the warmth in her chocolate eyes and all I wanted was for her to keep looking at me like _that_ – the depths of her eyes looking like melted pools of chocolate and shimmering with what I could only qualify as – _want._

I didn't realize my hand was sort of suspended in mid air until, I felt one of hers leave my right shoulder and bring mine to cup her cheek. My cheeks burned from embarrassment and she giggled as she stood on her toes, her lips hovering just above my ear. "It's okay," She assured, the husky tone of her voice making deep heat bloom in the pit of my stomach. "I don't really know what I'm doing either. I've um...yeah..."

Her voice trailed off and she pulled back just a little, making me immediately miss the minty sensation of her breath hovering over my ear. Her milky cheeks flushed a pretty pink and I let my thumb brush over the silky skin, causing the pink to turn a deeper shade and as her teeth sunk into the peach flesh of her lips, I couldn't stop myself from letting out a low groan.

"I've never felt like this. Not that I know exactly what _this_ is. Because I don't. I mean like I said I've never..."

Before she could get carried away with her rambling, I brought my thumb away from her cheek and pressed the peach petals of her lips together, effectively stopping her. The softness of her lips against the roughness of my thumb made the deep heat in the pit of my stomach spread everywhere else and the way her lips parted as I traced their petal shape while she was looking at me from underneath half-lidded eyes wasn't helping.

The need to kiss her was racing through my body and I used the arm that was still wrapped around her back to draw her back to me. Her breasts became crushed against my chest in the process and it was hard to ignore the soft weight they carried and how good that weight felt. Her teeth were biting down on her bottom lip again and I could hear her breath hitch in her throat just before she asked, "Have you ever felt like this?"

Being the prolific songwriter that I was, there were a million ways I could answer her question. But instead of using any of them, I gave her the simple answer. And the only answer that seemed right.

Just before my lips descended on hers, I told her, "No."

_**(Oh, in the middle of the night**_

_**Waking from this dream**_

_**I wanna feel you by my side**_

_**Standing next to me**_

_**You gotta come on, come on**_

_**Say that we'll be together**_

_**Come on, come on**_

_**Little taste of heaven)**_

Before this kiss started, Dana had asked if I had ever felt like _this_ before and I told her no and as she titled her head back so I could deepen the kiss, I wanted to tell her I had never been kissed or kissed anyone like _this_ either.

Every sweep her lips made across mine was perfect; the amount of pressure she applied, the way she eased my lips open with the very tip of her tongue and how she had engaged mine to tangle with hers. Her fingers found their way into my curls, sinking deeply amongst their thickness and tugging slightly and the feeling of a girl's fingers in my hair had _never_ felt so good.

My hand roamed her back, feeling the warmth of her skin through the fabric of the T-shirt she was wearing and all I could think about was _actually_ feeling the warmth for myself. As badly as I had wanted to kiss her, somehow I wanted to feel the bare skin of her back even more. My hand drifted just a little lower and my fingers twitched as they found the hem of her shirt. With just the slightest nudge, I would be able to feel the warmth I so badly wanted to.

Just the thought of actually _touching_ her skin – feeling its silky texture underneath the rough pads of my fingers – had my head spinning more wildly than before.

She broke our intense kiss in a slow manner, dragging out the parting of our lips as long as possible and I felt my stomach tighten along with my jeans as my eyes took in the beautiful picture she painted. Her hair was slightly mussed and tumbled down her shoulders and back with a slight curl (I hadn't noticed till now), her milky skin was alive with the deep pink hue my thumb had coaxed from her cheeks, her soft breasts were heaving as she tried to catch the breath our kiss had stolen and the plump petals of her lips were crushed and full.

Her tongue snaked out, briefly, to wet her lips and I let out a similar low groan to the one from earlier. Her lithe frame shuddered and I couldn't help but wonder if it was from the way I was staring at her.

She swallowed slightly before a tentative whisper fell from her now slick lips, "No one's ever looked at me the way you are right now. I don't know what it means or what you want exactly, but um...don't...Don't stop."

"I won't." I told her simply before clearing my throat. Now it was my turn to be tentative. I had never asked a girl if I could _touch_ her and I wasn't sure how _she_ would react. My throat was thick and somewhat tight and I had to clear it again. My hands shook by my sides and I stumbled over the question I so desperately wanted to ask her.

"Do you...Um...Would it...Ugh!" I groaned in frustration at my own ineptitude and roughly raked my fingers through my hair. When my hand came back to rest at my side, she took it and gently trailed her fingers over my knuckles as she said softly with a teasing air, "How about you breathe, tiger? I'm going to be here until the last possible moment when I _absolutely_ have to leave."

The melodic tone of her teasing voice eased my uncharacteristically frazzled nerves just like her touch did. Giving her one of my usual half smiles, my voice was low and I hoped she could hear it when I asked her, "Can I touch you, Dana?"

_**(Oh, oh I'm caught up in you**_

_**Oh, oh, oh**_

_**Untouchable burning brighter than the sun **_

_**And when you're close I feel like coming undone)**_

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Dana's POV**_

My heard thudded against my ribcage and each resounding thud reverberated in my ears to the point that I would have sworn on _anything_ – even the biggest stack of Bibles _ever_ – that he heard each thud too. I never thought his question – the one he had been struggling to ask – would have been about touching me. I had felt unsteady on my feet before this, but now, I was surprised to still be up right at all.

I wasn't sure if you could technically "shake" on the inside (you know in the _truest_ sense of the word), but I felt like my whole body was shaking – even the inside – as I stood there. I bit down on my lip again (my go to nervous habit) and since I didn't trust my voice, I just nodded my head.

Nodding, though, wasn't good enough for Nate. "You have to say yes. I need to hear you _say_ that you want me too. I've never asked a girl to touch her before...Uh, in case you hadn't noticed."

He awkwardly shifted his weight from one leg to the other and without realizing I had been holding my breath, a long rush of air escaped my lips. His neutral skin was flushed (the way it was after he had performed) and I could see the flush seeping lower into his neck and the way his nerves manifested themselves physically made me feel _a lot_ better about my own. Bravely, I closed the small amount of space between us and although my voice sounded shaky to me, I hoped he didn't infer anything by it when I told him, "It's okay. You can touch me."

I wasn't exactly sure _where_ the touching was going to happen, but when I felt his hand hesitantly drift underneath the hem of my shirt to touch the small of my back, I realized I didn't care. His hand was wonderfully warm and the way his fingers danced across my skin, had the butterflies in my stomach fluttering more than they ever were before.

_**(In the middle of the night**_

_**When I'm in this dream**_

_**It's like a million little stars**_

_**Spelling out your name**_

_**You gotta come on, come on**_

_**Say that we'll be together**_

_**Come on, come on, oh oh)**_

My head fell against the solidness of his chest and I buried my face inside the opening of his plaid shirt, inhaling his perfect smell. I could feel his hand moving further up my back and suddenly I felt the sensation of something cool against my heated skin, which caused me to shudder. He noticed and his hand slipped out from underneath my shirt while he stammered adorably in my ear. "A-are you okay? W-was that..." He paused to swallow and then finished asking his question. "Good or bad?"

I didn't want to pull away from his chest, but to answer him I had to. I could feel my lips curving upward and I couldn't stop the giggles that fell from them at the sight of his somewhat frantic soft brown eyes. "Relax," I teased. "Don't you know? When it comes to you, everything's good."

I don't know why I was just now _noticing_ the plain silver band that adorned the ring finger of his left hand (it's not like I didn't _know_ all about it), but as he reached out to cup my cheek, suddenly I did. It didn't take me long to realize, the shudder from the cool sensation that I felt against my back came from the feeling of his ring. Unlike his hand, the metal around his finger was cool and when it hit the warmth of my back, I felt something incredible, which made my whole face heat up.

"I felt your ring." I told him, which sounded really stupid in my head. "That's why I shuddered. It's the only part of your hand that isn't warm."

His eyes drifted away from mine and focused on the jewelery on his finger. He twisted it around and suddenly I was nervous that I had said something wrong. Like I said, I knew all about his ring – what it meant and all that – but that didn't mean I should have said anything about it. Something like _that_ was obviously sacred to him and not to mention private.

"You um...You know what it is don't you?"

I nodded and ran my fingers through my hair as I was the one who was _now_ shuffling awkwardly on their feet. "Yeah." I answered softly. "I um...I've heard people's speculations about it and I've heard what you and your brothers have said. And just between us," I stepped just a little closer and raised myself on the tips of my toes. "I believe what you guys have to say vs. what Perez and oceanUp blog about." I murmured, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Obviously, it worked because I was rewarded with one of his low, throaty chuckles; the kind that skated along my nerve endings and made them come alive. I pressed a warm kiss against his ear and then lowered myself back down onto my feet. I gave him another smile and reached for his hand, allowing my finger to dance along the silver band for a moment and looking at him from behind my eyelashes I told him, "It's a beautiful ring."

"Thanks."

Giving his hand a squeeze, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his, initiating a warm, wet kiss. It was a total in the moment move, that I was, honestly surprised by. I usually wasn't so aggressive when it came to that sort of thing, but I wanted to make things less awkward for him. I knew things had gotten kind of heavy and now wasn't the time to talk about vows and beliefs, so I did the only thing I could think of and kissed him.

His lips moved easily across mine and for the briefest of moments our tongues tangled together. The cinnamon of his breath was immediately missed when he broke the kiss, but it was missed just a little less when I became wrapped up in his arms and pressed against his every inch like I had been before.

_**(Oh, oh in the middle of the night**_

_**Waking from this dream**_

_**Wanna feel you by my side**_

_**Standing next to me**_

_**You gotta come on, come on**_

_**Say that we'll be together**_

_**Come on, come on**_

_**Little taste of heaven)**_

Our foreheads were resting against each others and it was like somehow we _knew_ – even though we weren't being interrupted or we heard no tell tale signs of someone coming – that we should break apart and go our separate ways for now. I breathed him in one last time and after slowly slipping from his hold, I made my way out of the bushes from behind the mess hall.

I stopped for a moment to call out his name, "Nate," and when he turned around, I blew him a kiss. I giggled as I saw him reach up and catch the imaginary kiss before I disappeared from his view and made my way back across the lake.

_**(Like a million little stars, spelling out your name**_

_**Spelling out your name)**_

**Song used in this chapter: "Untouchable" by Taylor Swift lyrics by Taylor Swift**

_End Note: The whole Nate/Tess trading numbers thing is totally a plant by me for a sequel that I can't stop thinking about for this story. If the sequel actually happens, you'll find out just how much of a soft spot I have for Ness. Seriously._

_ANYWAY...So Nate just like his alter ego, has the infamous purity ring going on. I thought about him having one vs. not having one way too much as I was planning out and then ultimately re-writing this chapter, and I decided he should have one. _

_This is sort of a self-issued challenge, honestly. I've never written a character who's made a vow of chasity before – probably because I rarely (if at all, actually) write teenagers. So I'm testing the limits of my writing since normally, I would just have Nate and Dana have sex, but that seems too easy, you know? So I'm doing something different._

_And I"m sure I don't have to tell all of you what's coming up next. But I will, anyway. It's Camp Wars...Dun-dun-dun. And things will definitely be tweaked. Definitely._


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: Filler, while sucky, is totally necessary. Not to mention I've been leaving subtle hints about Dana's Mom throughout the story, so I figured now was the perfect time to bring her in and since she's here, I figured why not bring in the Grey brothers' parents too._

_I mean the whole world knows about Camp Wars, right? So how could Dana's Mom and Brown's family ie his nephews parents, not know about it? And not want to be there? Hello!_

_ANYWAY...Dana's Mom, Carmen Rivera-Turner is played by Jessica Leccia who currently stars on the ABC soap opera One Life To Live as Inez Salinger. The Grey Brothers' parents Ryan and Savannah are played by John Ducey and Rebecca Creskoff who play the Lucas' brothers parents Tom and Sandy on JONAS/JONAS L.A._

_BTW in the credits and on the wikipedia page, Frankie's character is listed as Trevor Grey, so I'm going with that as the rest of the story continues. While he won't be in the story much, he'll be necessary for the sequel I'm in the baby and let me stress **baby** stages I'm planning._

_**Nate's POV**_

Waking up on the morning of _Camp Wars_, was almost as strange as it had been waking up the morning after the bonfire at Camp Star on the first night of camp. There was an urgency to everyone's movements and moods, a kind of frenziedness that reminded me of the last rehearsal before a tour. But I never expected I would ever get _that_ feeling at Camp Rock. Not in a million years.

Raking my fingers through my hair, I began to work through the uncharacteristic feeling of nerves by pacing on the deck outside the cabin. I hummed the song to myself and counted on the beat while mimicking the motions I would make with my drumsticks. I was _so_ absorbed in my head and going through the various recoveries I would have to make (just in case) that Brown's voice calling my name didn't register with me until around the third time.

Jogging off the cabin's deck, I met him at the foot of the stairs. "What's up?" I asked, thinking he would be conducting one last rehearsal before we made our way across the lake.

"Go get Jason and Trevor. There's a surprise waiting for all of you and Shane in my office."

Brown's eyes were twinkling brighter than usual and his smile seemed to be turned up a notch also. Slowly, I arched an eyebrow and he responded by shoving me lightly in my shoulder. "Don't look so suspicious, Nathaniel." His voice was over shadowed by chuckling due to the scowl I _knew_ graced my features at the mention of my full name. "Just go get your brothers."

"What about Shane?"

"Don't worry about him. I'll wrangle him away from Mitchie."

"Good luck with that." I muttered absently as I walked in the direction of the craft cabin where the Junior Rockers were.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

Slowly and I'll admit somewhat cautiously, I approached the door. And trust me, if _you_ were _me_, you would have done the same thing.

Those kids could get _rowdy_. And knowing my youngest brother, _he_ was the ring leader of the rowdiness. But when I opened the door, I was stunned to be greeted by silence. Well, not _complete_ silence; there was excited chatter, music pouring from the radio's speakers, the sound of hammering and the barely audible swoosh of paint brushes as they made birdhouses.

It was like I had entered the Twilight Zone.

Shaking it off, I looked around the room for my oldest brother's head of curly hair and found him leaning up against the far wall talking to one of Mitchie's friends, Peggy, the girl who had won _Final Jam_ the year before. The corners of my lips curved upward as I saw my chance to get him back for mocking me about Dana at the bonfire. With my hands in my pockets, I leisurely approached the oblivious duo.

Her hand lingered on his forearm as she giggled about something he whispered in her ear and that's when I made my presence known, by clearing my throat. Her hazel eyes were wide as she turned away and her cheeks flushed brightly as she gave me a friendly smile tinted with obvious embarrassment.

"Hey, Nate." She murmured softly.

My eyes darted from her hazel to Jason's brown and with the same smirk he had on his lips that night, I asked _too_ innocently, "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

His eyes narrowed and through gritted teeth, he remarked low so only I heard him, "If I said yes, would you go away?"

Chuckling, I patted him on the shoulder and said without much sympathy, "I wish I could, Jase, but Brown sent me to get you and Trevor. Apparently there's a surprise for us and Shane in his office."

Given his happy go lucky nature, he couldn't help but perk up at the word "surprise." With his usual enthusiasm, he chattered excitedly as he bounced on the balls of his feet, "Surprise? What kind of surprise? Did he give you a hint?"

"No, he didn't give me a hint. He just told me to come get you and Trev. Right now he's _trying_ to wrestle Shane away from Mitchie."

"Well, what are we waiting for? There's a surprise with our names on it! Come on, man!"

I laughed as he raced toward the door only to skid to a complete stop and turn around before racing back to the far wall where Peggy was still standing. I couldn't hear what he was saying since he was purposefully whispering in her ear, but whatever it was, it gave her a reason to smile brightly. Without the need to stand on her toes (they were close enough in height that they saw eye to eye), she leaned in just a little and pressed her lips to his cheek before whispering something of her own into his ear, which made his cheeks and neck flush just as brightly as her skin from earlier.

As he squeezed her hand and gave her cheek a peck of his own, I could hear the exaggerated groan of, "Ew!," from the spot next tome and I looked down to see my youngest brother, Trevor standing there.

Amused, by the _complete _disgust on his face, I gave him a light elbow into the stomach and told him, "Just wait, little man. Pretty soon you _won't_ think girls are gross and you'll _want_ to hold their hands and kiss their cheeks."

In a deadly serious tone and with a sharp shake of his head for emphasis, he told me, "That _will_ never happen. Girls will always be gross. _Always._"

"You say that now, but just wait..." I let my words trail off and just a beat later Jason had said goodbye to Peggy and the three of us were making our way over to Brown's cabin.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

Halfway there, we met up with our uncle and Shane who was _obviously_ upset about having his time with Mitchie before _Camp Wars_ cut short. Rolling my eyes at the scowl he wore, I couldn't help but think, _at least your girlfriend's __**here**__; mine's all the way across the lake – with a Dad who hates me already – you don't know how easy you have it, dude._

"What?" Shane's voice broke through my thoughts, making me turn in his direction.

"What?" I repeated, my brows furrowing.

"What do _you_ mean _what_?" He asked. "You're the one who was all you don't know how easy you have it, dude. What does _that_ mean?"

I blinked repeatedly, not believing I had actually said _that_ out loud. I sighed heavily and rubbed the back of my neck for a moment before saying in a somewhat frustrated tone, "At least Mitchie's here. That's all I meant. I didn't know I even said that out loud till you cornered me about it."

"But what the hell does that even mean? At least Mitchie's here? What are you talking about, man?"

Shane wasn't the type to let things go – _ever_. Even though, he had calmed down and curbed his attitude since last summer, he was still as intense as he was before and hadn't lost his easy to flare temper.

Knowing there was only one way out of this, I set him straight about Dana. After I told him about seeing her last night and kissing her (I left out the touching; he didn't need to know about that), I was practically holding my breath as I waited for him to say something.

His sentences were spoken slowly as if he were mentally processing them as they left his lips. "So you're basically dating the daughter of our uncle's worst enemy? The enemy who wants to shut down his _livelihood_? The _very place_ where you, me and Jason had our best childhood memories? Where we played our _very first_ song? And you're dating _that_ girl?"

"Well, when you put it that way..." I muttered sarcastically.

"Now's not the time for your dry humor! Are you dating Axel fucking Turner's daughter or not?"

"Will you be quiet?" I hissed. "The whole world doesn't need to know, Shane! And I'm not dating Dana. You _can't_ date someone if you haven't been on a _date_ with them."

"Semantics." He remarked, rolling his eyes. After a pause, he was about to say something else when Brown poked his head out of his office and yelled, "Hey, you two quit lollygagging about! Get in here!"

"Saved by the uncle. But don't think this conversation is over. After Brown shows us whatever this surprise is, we're going to talk about just what's going on with you."

"Stop being so dramatic. I like a girl who likes me. I'm not planning to rob a bank or in jeopardy of screwing up the band's record deal because of an attitude problem."

I knew my last comment was low, but I couldn't help it. After all, he was acting like I was slipping into a life of crime or I had some horrible drug habit.

Just as he pushed the door open, I held him back for a minute and said lowly, "You know I didn't mean anything by that. You've changed for the better, bro. I know that. It's just – what you said really got to me. I've never felt like this – the way I feel when I'm around Dana, I mean. She's really great and I don't want to lose that because her Dad is Axel Turner, you know?"

He gave me a sympathetic smile as he nodded. "I know what you mean – the whole I've never felt like this thing. I get it. Just like I know you didn't mean what you said. So don't sweat it, okay?"

Just after I shut the door behind the two of us, a familiar sounding squeal shadowed by a choking sob – the one we heard after returning home from _every_ tour – rang in our ears. "My boys! Oh, how I missed you!"

At the same time, we both groaned as our Mom pulled us into one of her suffocating, bone-crushing hugs.

"Mom..." We wheezed together, despite doubting she could hear us over her own repeated kissing of our cheeks and squeezing of our bodies.

"Honey," Our Dad coaxed as he pulled her away, gently. "Let the boys breathe. It's kind of important that they do that, you know."

"I'm _aware_ of how important breathing is, honey." She mused, her eyes narrowing in the same way that Shane's would when his voice would hold the same warning tone. "All I'm doing is being a mother and showing my _babies_ who are growing up _way too_ fast how much I missed them. It's not a crime."

The hug she pulled Shane and I into this time around was _a lot_ looser, which allowed her to use her other arm to grab Jason and Trevor who stomped his foot and insisted in a whiny tone, "I'm _not_ a baby!"

After releasing all of us, she started in on her second oldest about the girl he spent all summer texting, making the rest of us snicker. Leaving him to fend for himself, I walked over to our Dad and being the most observant, I asked, "So you heard about the whole _Camp Wars_ thing, huh?"

"_Camp Wars_? Sounds juicy. But your mother and I decided..."

"Dad," I interrupted knowingly. "This is _me_, you're talking to. You haven't been able to get _anything_ past me since the last Christmas I still believed in Santa, and I was _six_ so don't even try. I know you know all about it. Brown can call this a surprise visit all he wants, but I know why you're here. It's not like you and Mom don't like having the house all to yourselves. Isn't that why you _finally_ gave in and said it was okay for Trev to come to camp this year?"

"All right, you got me, Pres." He admitted using the shortened version of my nickname Mr. President. "Once your mother found out, she wasn't just going to stay home and watch all this play out on TV. How could she? She knows how much this place means to Brown and how much it's meant to you and your brothers."

"I'm glad you guys are here." I laughed a little as I finished my sentence and without the least bit of resistance, I let him pull me into his side. "I'm a lot calmer than I was before you got here. That's for sure."

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Dana's Dream**_

"_You know, no matter how much you look at it, it's not going to change the fact that it **really **is five o'clock in the morning."_

_Dana nearly jolted out of bed and almost screamed at the same time because of the deep voice coming from the doorway to her cabin. At her silent scream and obvious shock, the figure leaning up against the cabin's door started laughing._

_And she would know that laugh anywhere. "Nate?" She asked tentatively as she flipped on her bedside lamp. Her eyes got their visual confirmation and without even stopping to consider Tess was still asleep, she yelled, "What's the matter with you? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"_

_The attractive singer laughed some more as she threw a pillow at him in annoyance. He had the decency to look sheepish while he admitted his motivation. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, Dana. Well, okay, maybe that did cross my mind earlier, but still," He gave her a smile that reached the soft depths of his eyes. "I'm sorry."_

_The lithe brunette pulled her bright purple comforter tighter over her chest, hoping the actions would calm her racing heart. Taking a deep breath, she let her eyes indulge in drinking in the sight before her. She was, after all, kind of living a fangirl's fantasy. Nate Grey of Connect Three was in her bedroom and he...A small gasp fell from her lips when she noticed the guitar that was hanging from his shoulder._

_Her body started to vibrate with the millions of possibilities that danced in her head. Her teeth sunk into her lip and after releasing the flesh, she asked, "So what brings you across the lake so early? Camp Wars isn't for like another six hours."  
_

"_What always brings me across the lake – early or otherwise – a pretty girl I know."_

_**What a line**, she murmured as a smile spread across her lips. She didn't know she said that loud enough for him to hear, until he asked with a small smirk playing at his heart-shaped lips, "Did it work?"_

_Swallowing slowly, she nodded as her stomach filled with fluttering butterflies. "Yeah, it worked."_

_For a long while – or at least what felt like a long while – they just stared at each other; chocolate eyes locked on soft brown. The spell of silence was only broken when she realized Tess was still in the room. Climbing out of bed, she didn't bother putting on the huge blue Cookie Monster slippers that rested at the foot of her bed (that would be **beyond** embarrassing) and in her bare feet, she crossed the two feet from her bed to the door. Easily, she slipped her hand into his and together they walked out to the deck of the cabin._

_They settled onto the porch swing her Dad had installed just for her; it was just another amenity (much like her piano) that he brought from their house so she would feel more at home. She reached for his arm and nudged him closer until it was close enough for her to hug his biceps towards her like a child would hold a teddy bear. She let out an elongated yawn and followed her previous intimate gesture by intertwining her left hand fingers with his right. The position would have been uncomfortable and awkward, but she was just small enough that it was perfect instead._

"_Hey," He murmured against her ear, the warmth of his breath making her squirm just a little. "Do you think you could keep those pretty eyes of yours open just long enough for me to play you a song? It's kind of the whole reason I came over here."_

"_To sing to me?" Her voice was shadowed by drowsiness and her eyes were half-closed when she turned her head to look at him. _

_He felt more than guilty for waking her up so early, but coming over here and singing was the only thing he could do to get his mind off the competition tonight. Gently, his fingers swept over her cheek and he brushed some errant strands of hair away. "I can't stop thinking about tonight." He admitted, the stress obvious in his tone._

"_I can't either." The drowsiness in her voice was gone and in its place was the subdued edge of reality. She bit the inside of her cheek and settled more comfortably against his biceps, making him chuckle. "So my arm makes a nice pillow, huh, Dana?"_

_Her milky skin flushed bright. "More than nice, actually," She teased, soft giggles escaping her throat. "But um..I should probably move right? I mean you brought your guitar with you and you said you wanted to sing so I'll just..."_

_Leaning over wasn't exactly **easy**, but he managed to and in the process, he accomplished what he wanted to; cutting off her rambling with a kiss. The kiss lasted longer than he intended as their tongues got a brief chance to tangle before they broke apart. With one last sweep of his lips across hers, he told her, "Stay where you are. Don't move."_

"_But your guitar..." She started to protest, but he cut her off. "It's okay. I've sung without it before."_

_The head to toe shiver, he inspired within her was slowly becoming familiar, but it still caught her off guard as it raced through her body when his lips touched the outer shell of her ear. Her body vibrated against his with every treble of the raspiness of his voice reverberating in her ear and slowly her eyes closed as she got lost in the combined sensations of his voice and hands, as they gently rubbed her arms up and down._

_**(A dreamer of pictures**_

_**I run in the night**_

_**You see us together,**_

_**Chasing the moonlight,**_

_**My cinnamon girl.)**_

_**(Ten silver saxes **_

_**A bass with a bow**_

_**The drummer relaxes**_

_**And waits between shows**_

_**For his cinnamon girl.) ("Cinnamon Girl" - Neil Young)**_

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Dana's POV**_

"Mmmm..." I mumbled absently, snuggling deeper into the softness of my mattress. The images fluttering behind my eyelids were too good to let the annoying beeping of my alarm clock interrupt them. I _knew_ it wasn't possible (I was _dreaming_ after all), but it was so real that I believed I could _feel_ the familiar strength Nate's arms held and _smell_ his perfect clean, soapy smell.

Rolling over, I buried my face into the fluffiness of my pillow, wishing instead that I was rewarded with the warmth of the skin of his neck like I was in my dream. I let out a long sigh and tightly grabbed onto the pillow that was lying next to me as if I were holding him like I wanted to be.

He was still singing to me – the song wasn't one I recognized, but the lyrics talked about a drummer waiting between shows for his cinnamon girl – and that was definitely appealing to me. The idea of him waiting for me between shows – even in as I drifted between sleep and wakefulness – was more than I could take. I let out another sigh and that's when a different voice entered my ear.

This one was more soothing, less raspy and it was speaking Spanish. "Bueno, veo que hay cosas que no cambian. Siempre estaras durmiendo a traves de su alarma, no te nina?"

While my alarm couldn't succeed in getting me to leave my dream world behind, _that_ voice suddenly brought me into the fully alert state of wakefulness. I scrambled to sit up so fast, I nearly fell out of bed and I could hear the soft, melodic laughter that I would know anywhere dancing toward my ears. Rubbing my eyes, the widest smile came to my face as I saw my Mom sitting at the edge of my bed, one of her legs crossed over the other and her hands primly resting in her lap.

"Mama!"

I knew it was _super_ lame to be this excited about seeing my Mom, but I couldn't help it. This was the first time I had been away from her for an extended period of time and I missed her...A lot. I practically launched myself at her, after I succeeded in untangling myself from my sheets and comforter. Breathing in her familiar smell, the thought of _Camp Wars_, for the first time in too long was the furthest thing from my mind.

My Spanish sounded rusty to my ears as I babbled excitedly while still hugging her. "Mama! Te extrane tanto. Yo se que te he escrito caratas durante todo el verano, pero todavia hay tantas cosas que tengo que decir. No puedo creer que realmente estas aqui!"

She laughed again and squeezed me for a moment, before she broke our hug. Her dark eyes danced with warmth and she lovingly cupped my cheek in the softness of her slender palm. "There's still so much you have to tell me?" The smile that curved the pink of her lips was teasing just like her voice. "And just what _is_ this so much, Dana Marisol?"

Briefly, I thought back to my dream and I could feel my face heat up in an instant. Suddenly, my fingers were fascinating as I looked away from her dark eyes. Letting out the breath I didn't even know I was holding, I brought my eyes back up to hers and murmured, "There's this guy..."

A gasp fell from her lips and in rapid Spanish that reminded me of my Aunt Sofia, her younger sister, she squealed, "Un nino? Estas tratando de decir que le gusta un chico? Por que no lo dijiste en cualquiera de us cartas? Dana Marisol Turner me dice todo – y me refiero a todo – ahora mismo!"

She ordered me to tell her _everything_ and my face was practically _burning_ at this point. It wasn't hard for me to think back to several nights ago when we had kissed outside Camp Rock's mess hall and how he had asked to touch me. Swallowing thickly, I was going to say something when I could see – out of the corner of my eye – my Dad's imposing figure standing in the cabin's now open doorway.

Putting on the breaks, I stopped myself from saying anything because I knew talking about Nate with my Mom now was a bad idea. Not to mention, I didn't want to fight with him about this in front of her. Especially when I knew he had brought her to camp for me. Sighing, I climbed off my bed and walked over to him, easily bringing him into a hug.

"Thank you." I whispered.

His large, rough hand easily smoothed over the length of my hair and as he bent forward to kiss my head, I wished he would let more people see him like this. Not as Axel Turner – record company owner, rockstar, gruff and maybe even a little unfeeling – but as _my Dad_. I knew it was probably never going to happen but a girl could dream, right?

"Axel." The usual calm and stiff air in my Mom's voice had me wincing just a little. It was the air that I had forced to become used to since my parents got divorced to years ago.

His disdain, though, was more apparent in his gruff voice as he gritted out her name. "Carmen."

My eyes darted from one to the other, the thickness in the air making me feel nauseous. Sighing heavily, I ran my fingers through my hair and pleaded, "Don't do this, okay? Don't fight, please! This whole _Camp Wars_ thing is stressful enough as it is!"

"Honey..." They both said at the same time and I shook my head sharply, stopping either of them from continuing. "Stop! All I want is both of you there so I can actually breathe in between now and then. You know how nervous I get! So can you just do that for me, please? I'm not asking for a freaking car! All I'm asking is that you be civil for a couple hours – _just _a couple. It's not that hard!"

"You don't have to worry about any fighting happening." My Mom assured, stroking my cheek lovingly.

"We'll do the safe thing and keep our distance." My Dad said, choosing his words carefully.

"Whatever." I muttered, not wanting to get caught up in the drama and without another word, I walked out of the cabin.

*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*

_**Nate's POV**_

With everyone crammed into the same backstage area I thought there _might_ be a chance I could sneak away amongst all the chaos and try to see Dana, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. Looking in the mirror, I ran a comb through my curls and adjusted the collar of the denim shirt I was wearing. From over my shoulder, I could hear Tess' familiar voice telling Luke good luck and my lips quirked just a little. No one would believe me – not even Peggy, Ella or Caitlyn who all used to me friends with her – but when she wanted, she could lose her ice queen persona.

But in an instant, suddenly it was back. I couldn't hear what Luke had said but obviously he hit a nerve because I could hear her voice turn biting as she remarked, "And by good luck, I mean I hope you fall off the stage."

Backing away from the mirror, I could see all the girls who were in their chairs doing their makeup turn their heads in her direction. A long string of silence developed and I swallowed thickly. Without saying anything, I walked out of the room – ignoring Mitchie's comment about where I was going – and hoped that I could catch up to Tess before she actually made it to Camp Star's side of the backstage area. Once she was there, it was a lost cause for me. No one else but _especially_ Axel wasn't just going to let me walk in there.

I caught sight of her cornflower hair just as she rounded the corner and I called her name, "Tess," which made her stop and turn around.

Her oceanic eyes narrowed and the fire engine red slickness of her pouty lips formed a thin line as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't even think about it, Grey."

Slipping my hands into the pockets of my khaki's, I tried to act nonchalant. "Don't think about what?"

She let out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes. "You know what I'm talking about. How many times do I have to tell you? Playing dumb _just_ doesn't work for you, okay? So stop it. We both know you _obviously_ heard what Luke said and what happened afterward with Mitchie and everyone staring at me like I just got kicked in the stomach. I seriously do _not _need a recap or your concern. Not when I have a performance to get ready for – and um, last time I checked you have one to get ready for too, don't you?"

I wasn't the most successful person as far as lighting the mood went – that was Jason's area of expertise – but I was going to try. The look on her face flashed in my head and I knew I had to do _something_ it was part of my persona as the "sensitive one" I guess, but it was more than that, actually. It had never made sense to me but somewhere along the line – back home – the pretty blonde and I had struck up a friendship, and she really looked like she could use a friend – not that she'd admit it.

"I'm always ready." I dismissed before moving just a little closer. I felt a vague sense of pride as I watched the corners of her pout turn upward. "Just so you know, Tess this isn't about being concerned. I know you'll _never_ admit it – and that's okay – but we're sort of friends. I'm not sure how it happened but it did and you won't admit this either, but you could use a friend right now so..."

"Don't kid yourself, Grey." She interrupted. "Calling us friends is a serious stretch. We're not at some party in a mansion crawling out of our skins of boredom. This – _Camp Wars – _it's fucking serious. So if you think some stupid remark Luke made because – ugh – I was _trying _to be nice, got to me – well, then _you_ don't know _me_ as well as you think you do."

I couldn't help but laugh at her familiar dramatics. Giving her one of my rare smiles, I shook my head and told her, "I'd tell you to break a leg or good luck but I think I'll save both for another time. After all, Tess Tyler doesn't need luck does she?"

"Looks like you got one thing right during the course of this unnecessary conversation." Her voice held faux boredom as she adjusted the large flower that was attached to the headband she wore. "Anyway...we better get back to our respective corners. We wouldn't want Daddy dearest catching you slinking around as you hope to catch a glimpse of your Juliet, would we, Romeo?"

My cheeks and neck heated up at her implication and just as she turned around, she stopped mid-step and plucked a white carnation from a nearby vase. Strutting back in my direction, she handed me the flower and when I arched a brow, she responded, "Between you and your little girlfriend, you're both turning me – ugh – soft. But whatever. Carnations are her favorite. Since we're going first maybe you can give it to her after – if you know – you're brave enough, Grey."

She had already disappeared around the corner just as, "Thanks, Tess," fell from my lips in a murmur she probably wouldn't have heard anyway.

Just as I turned around, I could hear Georgina Farlow's voice from Hitz TV talking about the competition and I sprinted in the direction of the stage instead of the backstage area. It was strange not wanting to see the competition's performance for the sake of the competition, but the way I felt about Dana had me doing things I never thought I would.

_End Note: Here are the translations from Spanish to English for Dana's conversation with her Mom. If something is wrong, don't blame me, blame Google translator. I took four years of high school French and I'm still taking French in college._

_Bueno, veo que hay cosas que no cambian. Siempre estaras durmiendo a traves de su alarma, no te nina? _

_**Well, I see some things never change. You will always be sleeping through your alarm clock won't you, little girl?**_

_Mama! Te extrane tanto. Yo se que te he escrito caratas durante todo el verano, pero todavia hay tantas cosas que tengo que decir. No puedo creer que realmente estas aqui!_

_**Mama! I know I've written letters during the summer, but there are still so many things I have to tell you. I cannot believe you're really here!**_

_Un nino? Estas tratando de decir que le gusta un chico? Por que no lo dijiste en cualquiera de us caratas? Dana Marisol Turner me dice todo – y me refiero a todo – ahora mismo!_

_**A boy? Are you trying to say you like a boy? Why didn't you tell me in your letters? Dana Marisol Turner, tell me everything – and I mean everything – now!**_

_**Song used for Dana's dream: "Cinnamon Girl" - Neil Young. Lyrics by Neil Young**_


	10. Author's Note

To all my readers, I just want to let you know that my updates will be significantly less frequent since I am legally and clinically insane and participating in National Novel Writing Month.

Right now, I am not "actively" concentrating on Nate and Dana, but I do have the next chapter in the works. Hopefully on the weekends, I'll have time to update and even work on further chapters so I'm not leaving all of you hanging completely.

What I can say, honestly, is that this story will be finished. As for the sequel, once again, I stress that is in the **baby** stages of planning, but I'll keep you updated.

Also, if you're interested, another author on the site ilovetvalot, who writes for Criminal Minds posted an interview with me in the forum for the Chit-Chat Author's Corner. The interview was done in response to the nomination I received for that fandom's awards and it's not necessary that you read the interview, I'm just trying to help another author get traffic to her forum. Also, if you would like, you can read the one-shot I was nominated for, _A Father and a Son_ by finding it on my author's page.

Thank you, once again, for all of your reviews, alerts and favorites.

Gina


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